His Daughter the Maneater
by Raychaell Dionzeros
Summary: When rumors of a ghost at the Black Order spread, Allen and friends find out that the ghost is actually a girl whom Allen, strangely enough, knows very well! Also, what will they do when she turns out to be - read full summary and pairings inside. No yaoi
1. The Ghost at the Black Order

**Summary: When rumors of a ghost at the Black Order get around, Allen, Link, Lavi, Komui and Timothy, Lenalee and the scientists are determined to get to the truth behind it. But what they didn't expect to find was a girl whom Allen knows very well. But what really shocks them is when they find out she has BOTH parasitic AND equipment type Innocence, and one of her Innocences contains the Heart! Also, what will they do when she is revealed to be the daughter of General Cross himself?! And so, the chaos ensues.**

**Pairings: Kanda x OC, Slight Allen x OC, slight Tyki x OC, mainly Allen x Lenalee.**

**Timeline: Phantom Thief G arc, after Timothy was found.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray Man! Only my OCs, Roxy and Talon.**

**[A/N: Edited 23/5/2013]**

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><p>The girl ran over the rooftops, jumping when necessary, increasing her speed when she could. Over her head, a peregrine falcon soared, its spotted feathers glinting under the full moon. Once again, Roxanne Wilder, or Roxy as she preferred to be called, cursed her stupidity for ignoring the signs of an akuma attack. She had been wandering through the countryside, hoping to find lodgings for the night. Instead, she had found a ghost town, which had been filled with dust and scattered clothing.<p>

It should have been warning enough to her that akumas were in the area, but oh no, she ignored her instincts, and had chosen to grab some sleep in an abandoned building. Then the akumas had arrived, and killed any remaining life in the town. It was only thanks to Talon, her peregrine falcon that had managed to wake her up in time to escape. Unfortunately, there had been a sharp eyed level two leading five level one akumas, alerting the rest to her presence, making it impossible for her to hide. Instead, she now had to run for her life. Could things get any worse?

A blood bullet whizzed past her ear in answer. Yes, things were getting worse. The bullet struck the wooden roof Roxy was aiming for in her next leap, the telltale black stars appearing all over the wood before the entire roof disintegrated into dust. Roxy let out a curse. "Damn it!" She managed to find another roof to stand on, and had barely caught her breath when the akumas surrounded her, the balloon shaped creatures forming around her, making escape impossible. Overhead, Talon dived down to her shoulder in time to avoid the clown shaped level two that had appeared above her.

The level two taunted her, its face full of mocking laughter. "Well well well, there's nowhere to run now, little girl, so why don't you just give up?" Roxy merely grinned in reply before drawing out her twin guns, which had been kept in separate hostlers, which were strapped to her legs. Without wasting a single second, Roxy shot two akuma that were in front of her, her rounds hitting them squarely in their foreheads and making them explode. Before the rest could react, Roxy was already running, leaping towards the next roof while Talon flew off.

Roxy never stopped running until she reached the town square. In that open space, she was cornered again, but the difference was that the akuma now surrounded her so tightly that using her guns would mean risking injuries to herself. _That_ was an option Roxy refused to take. The same akuma from before, seeing her cornered, ordered the other level ones to attack.

"Oh no you don't," Roxy muttered, a sadistic smile now on her face as she whispered, "My Nightmare, come to me." With that, a giant silver scythe appeared in her hands and Roxy swung it effortlessly, the long blade slicing cleanly through the akumas that were headed towards her, destroying the remaining level ones. The level two attempted to run upon seeing the demise of its comrades, only to be confronted by the figure of Roxy lunging at him from the smoke created by the akumas' destruction. Roxy was quick to slice the akuma into half, and even as she saw the akuma disintegrate as it was destroyed by her Innocence, she heard it ask a question.

"What are you?" Roxy smiled at this, and with a cheerful grin, she replied, "Me? I'm just an Exorcist." With that, she drew a single gun and put a round through its remains, effectively destroying it. Talon circled down towards her, giving way to a raucous cry as it did so, seemingly scolding her.

Roxy rolled her eyes at the scolding, complaining, "I told you already, Talon. I was exhausted from all the travelling, that's why I didn't notice the akuma till it was almost too late. Come on, I want to get to the Black Order soon. After all, Allen owes me a game of poker!" With that, she hitched her backpack higher up her shoulder before she walked forward once more, bent on reaching her destination. Talon, who had managed to land on her shoulder just as she moved off, complained at the jouncing from his perch, only to be ignored. The falcon ruefully settled down the best he could before ducking his head under his wing to sleep.

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><p>A distance away, a certain white head was, as always, chomping down on his food, a small mountain of plates growing by the minute beside him. Allen was having a snack, or a meal as his friends would call it. A few meters away, blond haired Howard Link was looking at Allen in something akin to disgust and shock at the speed with which Allen was eating away. Timcanpy, Allen's golden golem, was chomping down on the food as well. Seeing as to how Allen didn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon, Link sighed and returned his attention to the book he had been reading.<p>

Allen was going through his third helping of pudding while Timcanpy was finishing off a bun when a familiar blue head poked out from the other side of the table. "Hey there, Allen." Timothy greeted enthusically. The boy was dressed in his usual exorcist uniform, and had a huge excited grin on his face.

"Hey Timothy. Weren't you supposed to be at lessons with Emilia?" Allen questioned, his silver eyes full of curiosity. At this question, Timothy snorted, brown eyes full of laughter.

"Aye, I was, but then I sneaked out to talk to you about the recent rumors that have been swirling around lately." Timothy replied, his eyes glinting with eagerness.

At this, Link came over and stood beside Allen, asking, "What rumors do you mean?"

"You know, the one about the ghost. Some finders have reported seeing a black-cloaked figure around the gate room and cafeteria. Apparently, this figure was seen carrying a silver scythe and wandering around, asking a question." Timothy said eagerly. Allen and Link exchanged confused looks before looking back at Timothy.

Allen was the one who asked the next question. "What question is this ghost asking?"

"Oh, the ghost keeps asking, 'Where is he? Where is my brother?' " Timothy replied with a ghostly voice at the question. Allen and Link merely sighed at this.

Link asked wearily. "Is this another prank of yours, Timothy Hearst? We are not interested to hear about you possessing more people to do weird acts, so get lost." Timothy shook his head earnestly in reply.

Allen gave way to an equally weary sigh, before clearing up his dishes and leaving the cafeteria, Timcanpy flying above his head. To be the truth, he had heard about the rumors of the ghost, but just dismissed it as mad ramblings from the overworked Science Division. Behind him, Link was, as always, a few steps behind Allen. Allen thought about asking Link his opinion, only to dismiss it in his next thought. After all, the Central Division Inspector was only here to 'observe' him, not talk with Allen about rumors of a ghost. It was times like this Allen missed his old friend and god sister. She always found a way to turn a serious situation into a joke, and was the only one who could match him in poker.

Allen headed straight for his room and opened the door, only to stop short at the sight of a familiar peregrine falcon perched at the window, glaring at him with those yellow eyes of his. "What's wrong, Walker?" Link asked. He peered around the frozen figure of Allen, and saw the same falcon.

"What's a falcon doing in your room?" Link questioned. Allen blinked at this before he snapped out of his daze and headed straight for the falcon, Link behind him.

Allen stopped short a few meters of the falcon, and asked, "Are you Talon?" Link gave Allen a weird look, questioning his sanity for talking to a bird. The bird merely fluffed his feathers in irritation, and bent his head towards Allen, showing off a piece of cloth tied to the bird's neck. Allen looked at it, and beamed in delight at the familiar sight of a scythe above two crossed revolvers that was set against a black background.

"You _are _Talon!" Allen said happily, while Talon merely stuck out his right leg in answer, showing a small leather tube tied to the leg. Allen was quick to untie the tube and open it to reveal a small piece of paper that was rolled up tightly. Beside him, Link tried to look over Allen's shoulder to read the note while Timcanpy and Talon glared at each other before settling down, Timcanpy on Allen's desk, Talon perched on a chair.

Allen eagerly unrolled the note and read it out loud for Link's benefit.

'Hey White Head, (Allen winced at this, since his friend had never stopped calling him that ever since they first met.)

It's been almost a year since my old man sent us off to the Black Order. How's life there? Thanks for the new gloves by the way. They fit perfectly and saved me from more scratches from Talon. (Allen grinned; he would have to thank Johnny later since the scientist had outdone himself as usual.)

I hope that guy hasn't been sending you more debts to pay off. Just last month, when I stopped at a pub to sleep there for the night, I found out from the bartender that the bastard had stopped by and left me 20,000 guineas to pay off! (Allen paled a little at the amount.) I was so pissed off that I nearly shot the poor guy. (Sigh… Typical her) I managed to gather enough winnings in poker to pay off the debt, but I didn't bother sleeping there in the end. Instead I found an inn and slept there for the night.

Anyway, before I bore you with my ramblings, I just wanted to tell you that I'm reaching the Order soon. The information about the Ark gates and your evolved Innocence was interesting to hear, but next time, PLEASE INFORM ME SOONER ABOUT THE CHANGE IN ADDRESS! I was nearly reaching the European HQ before you sent me a letter about the move! It took me hours to find a train that was headed for Rome. No matter. When I get there, you owe me a round or two of poker and also a chance to brawl against your Crown Clown!

I am almost there by the way. Even as I write to you from the train, I hope that you are well, and that the business over the Fourteenth Noah has died down, or else I'll unleash Hellbiter rounds on those big mouths! (Allen shook his head ruefully. She always had a thing for violence, just like her father.) Just so you know, I believe that you are innocent. After all, who was the one who always wrote to me rambling about the madness of the Noahs? Also, the Level Four sounds bad. I'll hide when I see it, since I doubt that a mere Exorcist like me can beat it. (Allen heaved a sigh of relief. He had feared that she'll want to pit herself it to test her strength.)

I look forward to meeting Lavi and BaKanda! Lavi sounds just like me, and Kanda is in for hell if he threatens you! (Allen grinned a dark smile. He looked forward to seeing two stubborn minds clash together.) I better sign off here, since I hear the food cart. Feed Talon for me.

Yours truly,

ROXY.

P.S.

I fought off five Level ones and one Level two just a few weeks ago. They were easy pickings. '

When Allen finished the letter, Link was immediately questioning him. "Who is this 'Roxy' and why have you told her so much about the Black Order and the Noah?" Link demanded. Allen laid down on his bed before answering.

"Roxy is my best friend. She's an Exorcist as well, that's why I told her about the Black Order. I can't exactly tell you more without her permission since most of these stuff is personal to her. She also has a personal vendetta against the Noah because they hurt me, and she hates it when people insult me or hurt me badly," was Allen's answer.

Link looked ready to press Allen for more information, but Talon flew over to Link when he heard the aggressive questioning, and was quick to bite Link's ear, drawing blood. Link tried to shoo Talon off, but Talon continued pecking and biting until Allen called out, "Talon, stop it. Come here." Talons glided to Allen's outstretched arm disgruntledly but not before giving the now furious Link a baleful look. Allen laughed at this, and with Talon now on his shoulder and Timcanpy on his head as usual, he set off for the cafeteria once more, leaving Link to hurriedly chase after him.

Allen was still feeding Talon strips of beef jerky when Lenalee found him. The green haired violet-eyed girl blinked in surprise at the strange sight of Allen feeding a bird while Timcanpy roosted in Allen's white hair. Allen spotted her then, and called out cheerfully, "Hey Lenalee! Looking for me?"

Lenalee nodded before walking over to Allen's table. "Hey Allen, who's that bird?" She questioned.

Allen grinned at the question. "Lenalee, meet Talon. Talon, this is Lenalee. She's a friend, so NO BITING!" Allen introduced, glaring at Talon when he said the last two words.

Lenalee smiled at Talon, then returned her attention to Allen. "Brother wants you and Link in his office. He says that he wants all the help he can get," She informed Allen. Allen blinked in confusion at this, but stood up, and after losing a short argument with Talon to make the falcon return to Allen's room, he set off for Komui's office with Talon perched upon his shoulder, Link and Lenalee by his side.

Allen reached the office just in time to see a familiar red head bend down to the slumped figure of dark haired Komui who was, as always asleep on his desk. Then, catching Allen's eye, Lavi grinned with mischief clear in his emerald eyes, and yelled. "ALLEN IS LENALEE'S LOVER!"

The sister complex chief was quick to wake up at this, and bellowed, "HOW COULD YOU ALLEN?! HOW COULD YOU DEFILE MY PRECIOUS LENALEE!" Even as he yelled, Komui brandished several deadly looking weapons and aimed them towards Allen, who paled at the sight of the weapons and started to hide behind Lenalee. She sighed at the sight of this and joined Link in doing a face palm before activating her Dark Boots and kicking the enraged Komui into his desk, making the supervisor snap out of his rage. Komui, upon seeing his sister, attempted to hug her, only to be stopped short by Lenalee's glare.

With the ruckus over, Allen was quick to notice Talon's disappearance. Looking around frantically, Allen didn't notice the falcon bearing down on him till he called to Allen angrily, making sure to rake Komui with his talons while gliding over to Allen's outstretched arm. Those who witnessed the scene roared with laughter at Komui's pain, while Allen gently chided the stubborn falcon.

Lavi was the first to stop laughing and ask an obvious question. "Hey Allen, is that falcon yours? If so, why is it we've only seen him now?"

Allen smiled and shook his head while Timcanpy bared his teeth, obviously annoyed at being ignored and Talon feigned disinterest. "Talon here belongs to a friend, and the reason why you see him now is because he refuses to return to my room and wait for me to return later and write a reply to his owner, who is my friend." Allen explained. A thoughtful silence descended as everyone tried to think of who this mysterious friend could be. Lavi merely watched Allen, noting the small spark of sadness in the teen's eyes as he talked about his friend.

Komui was the one who broke the awkward silence by clearing his throat. As soon as everyone's attention was on him, Komui beamed and started speaking. "Everyone, I assume you have heard of the recent rumors of a ghost at the Black Order?"

Lavi snorted at this, the red head clearly amused. "Sure, Komui. Everyone knows about this ghost thanks to Timothy here," He said, ruffling Timothy's hair when the younger boy had looked up at him.

"Well, the reason I asked you all to gather here today is because I have decided to start a ghost hunting mission!" Komui said happily, looking around at the crowd who had similar expressions of disgust and anger on their faces as they thought in unison, '_So that's what you called us here for?'_

"But Komui, aren't you or Timothy behind this ghost rumor? In fact, I bet that it's another Komurin you created secretly to scare everyone right?" Reever demanded, his eyes sparking in anger. Beside him, the other scientists who had been gathered as well all showed similar expressions of distrust on their face. Komui and Timothy shook their heads earnestly against the accusation.

"No, I've not done anything!" Komui assured while Timothy similarly protested against the accusation. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief at this news.

"Then who or what is behind it?" Allen wondered, idly scratching his head while a bored Talon flew over to Lavi, who was quick to interact with the regal bird and also examine the mark on the cloth tied to Talon's neck. Lavi frowned; he felt like he was missing something.

"I know! Let's start a ghost hunt then!" Komui said excitedly, a manic smile now on his face. Everyone face palmed except for Timothy, who looked excited at the idea.

"But why?" Allen questioned.

"Because if we catch this ghost, you can exorcise it!" Komui said eagerly. Allen merely sighed in annoyance. He was about to argue back when Komui made another announcement.

"All right then! Tonight, we shall go ghost hunting!"

"WHAT?!"

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><p>Later that night, a half asleep Allen and a grumpy Link stood watch at one of the corridors that connected the hall the ghost was supposed to frequent. Both Talon and Timcanpy were fast asleep in Allen's room, making him envy the two creatures. In his ear, Allen's trans receiver crackled. "Yo, moyashi, you still awake?" Lavi questioned from the other end of the hall.<p>

Allen's face grew red at this nickname, and he hissed back, "I'm awake, Baka Usagi! And the name's Allen!" Beside him, Link rolled his eyes while Lavi cracked up.

"Guys, stop arguing. It's around the time when the ghost will appear so stay sharp." Lenalee's voice sounded in annoyance. At this, all three men straightened and started straining their gazes towards the hall where Timothy, Komui and the rest of the science department stationed themselves in preparation to catch the ghost.

It was Lavi's sharp eye that spotted the black-cloaked figure. "Everyone, I think I just saw the ghost."

Everyone tensed in preparation. True to his words, a black-cloaked figure seemed to rise from the shadows, and start wandering around aimlessly. The scythe mentioned could be seen as well. Allen frowned at the sight of the scythe. For some reason or another, the scythe and figure seemed familiar. "Allen, go now!" Komui ordered excitedly. With a resigned sigh, Allen activated his Crown Clown, and dived down, his left arm turning into a sword even as Allen kicked the ghost in the back.

Or at least, tried to, since the ghost seemed to sense his presence and turn away at the last minute, leaving Allen to crash into the hard floor. Lenalee activated her Dark Boots and started kicking at the figure, but the ghost managed to deflect most of the kicks with its scythe. Meanwhile, Lavi was already ordering his hammer to enlarge and extend, and swung the giant hammer towards the ghost, but the ghost managed to stop its swing with the flat of the blade. It was then Lavi got a good look at the giant sliver scythe the ghost wielded with ease. It was indeed a giant, equaling the current size of his hammer, and by Lavi's guess, the wielder of the scythe did not feel the seemingly large weight of the scythe, instead wielding it like it was lighter than the size suggested.

Upon seeing his distraction, the ghost suddenly dropped to the floor in a crouch, taking Lavi by surprise as the ghost scuttled back, nearly reaching the shadows till a familiar voice shouted, "Crown Belt!" It was Allen, and he had a few bruises from where his face had hit the floor, and Link appeared to help Allen up. Komui, Reever and Johnny appeared with rope nets and trapped the ghost in it while Allen's Crown Belt tied the ghost up, but the ghost did not seem to see them.

Instead, he turned towards the direction of Allen's voice, and to everyone's surprise, spoke. "Allen?!" Allen blinked in surprise at the female voice and let go of Crown Belt while the scientists loosened their hold on the ropes in their surprise. The ghost gave him no chance to reply for she started to move towards Allen, the robes giving the impression that the ghost was gliding along the floor.

"Allen, is that really you?" The ghost spoke again. She stopped a few meters short of the white head, and Allen realized immediately whom the voice belonged to.

"Eh? Roxanne?!" Allen exclaimed in surprise, immediately getting a kick to the side of his head. The ghost, now released from Clown Belt, reached a hand back, pushing the hood back to reveal, a tall girl.

The girl had icy blonde hair, which was tied back into a spiky ponytail with a leather hair tie. Her pale skin had a slight tan to it, and her bangs framed a heart shaped face with ghostly pale blue grey eyes that glared at Allen, while soft pink lips pouted. Her porcelain features, while somewhat familiar to Lavi for some reason, helped emphasize her beauty, which she didn't seem to notice. Then she spoke in anger, "For the last time, Allen Walker, you know perfectly well I hate being called Roxanne!"

Allen rubbed the side of his head ruefully. A short distance away, Lavi, who was similarly stunned by her appearance, started moving, and with love-struck eyes, yelled, "STRIKE!" and attempted to glomp Roxy, only to get a punch to the head for his efforts.

Allen chuckled at the sight of this and started teasing her. "Hey Roxy, you've gotten soft."

Roxy glared at him, and retorted, "No way in Hell am I getting soft. You're mistaken."

"Oh really? Then why did you punch Lavi instead of hitting him with your scythe?" Allen replied, a dark smile appearing on his face. Those who knew Allen's two sides well immediately recognized Black Allen and shuddered in fear.

"Eh? That's Lavi?" Roxy exclaimed in surprise, looking down at the dazed figure of Lavi who had a large bump forming on the spot where Roxy had punched him. Allen snickered at her surprise. This brought her attention back to Allen. With a swift moment, Roxy had drawn a gun from the cloak that covered her, and everyone stopped breathing in shock.

"And you! You owe me an explanation! You told me that you were well known at the Black Order, but when I asked a few finders where you were, they just ran away screaming!" Roxy said in annoyance, holding her revolver to his head.

Allen blinked in surprise but didn't flinch at the sight of the gun. "So you're the ghost whom everyone kept talking about?" He enquired calmly.

"Not my fault that the only travel cloak I could find was black!" Roxy snapped.

At this, Allen's dark smile appeared once more as he replied in a mocking manner, "You're just like your dad, only interested in violence and beautiful things." At this, Roxy seemed to grow even more mad and was about to let loose a stream of profanities, only to be interrupted by a curious question from Lenalee.

"Who are you?" At this, Allen and Roxy paused in their argument to share a brief smile with each other before Allen answered.

"She's Roxanne Wilder Cross – " At this, Allen was interrupted by Roxy who quickly said, "Cross' second apprentice."

"EH? GENERAL CROSS HAS A SECOND APPRENTICE?! " Was voiced by everyone in his or her surprise.

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><p><strong>Raychaell: Finally! Now that it's done, I can concentrate on my other fanfic!<strong>

**Roxy: You're not finished with this so why are you stopping so soon?**

**Raychaell: Cos I wanted to complete my Black Butler fanfic first before I wrote this out! That was, until you kept bugging me so I had no choice but to write you out! Anyway, review please, my friends or I'm gonna quit this story and change my mind about Allen and Roxy! If I don't see a review, Roxy will end up in love with her god brother and Kanda will end up in love with Lavi!**

**Roxy: But you hate yoai.**

**Raychaell: SHUDDUP! Review please.**


	2. She's WHAT!

**Raychaell: Thanks everyone for all your lovely reviews and story alerts! I was beginning to think no one loved me…. *Sob***

**Roxy: Will you shut your whining already?**

**Raychaell: Who taught you that language?**

**Roxy: *shrugs* When you are a traveller and lead a life in the streets, you tend to pick up a lot of words not fit for public use. I was being considerate just now, you know?**

**Raychaell: Whatever. I do not own D. Gray Man. Only my OCs.**

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><p>"GENERAL CROSS HAD A SECOND APPRENTICE?!" Everyone who heard Roxy yelled in unison. Roxy and Allen shrugged and gave way to similar grins in reply.<p>

Roxy was the first to speak. "It's true," She assured the mixed group of scientists and Exorcists alike, "I met that stupid General when I was 13, and ever since then I've been training under him with Allen here, and when I was 18, that idiot finally sent us off to the Black Order."

Lavi then had a question. "I've noticed that you don't exactly address General Cross as Master like Allen does. Instead, you either call him General or insult him. Why do you do that?" Lavi asked in curiosity.

Allen snickered then and opened his mouth to speak. "That's because she's Master Cross' dau – " Allen was cut off by a back kick from Roxy to his stomach, leaving him winded and unable to speak. He glared at Roxy, who merely gave him a glare rivaling his.

She growled a reply. "You promised not to tell anyone about it, so I would like you to keep your promise unless you want your manhood to suddenly disappear." Every guy in the group immediately sweat dropped at the threat. Lavi, however, mused to himself, since he had noticed what Allen had been about to say. _What had Allen wanted to say before Roxy cut him off,_ Lavi mused to himself even as he stared at Roxy.

Timothy asked, "So if you are the ghost, then you must have been the one asking where your brother is, right?" Roxy smiled down at the eager boy and ruffled his hair, before replying.

"Aye, and before you ask, Allen here is my god brother and best friend of all time. We trained under Master Cross as kids and eventually became siblings when I was fifteen." Roxy explained, giving Allen a wicked grin. She was about to say more, but gave way to a sudden yawn.

"Sorry… But it seems I need to sleep. Anyone know a place where I can crash?" Roxy said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

Lenalee was quick to reply. "I can share my room with you. Tomorrow morning I can find you a room to sleep in." Roxy smiled gratefully, and gave Allen a quick hug before following Lenalee, leaving the guys to themselves.

Lavi was quick to question Allen after the girls left. "Hey Allen, how did you know such a hottie like Roxy?"

Allen looked surprised at the question, but replied, "Roxy is beautiful, that I can agree on. But tell that to her face and she'll get mad and say that beauty is only skin deep and that it's what underneath that really counts. And I met her when I was just twelve and just started successfully cheating at poker. It's really hilarious how we first met, but I am really exhausted now, so can I please sleep first and talk tomorrow?" Allen pleaded at the end before he headed back to his room.

Link, who had been among the first to recover from the effects of meeting Roxy for the first time, was quick to follow Allen as the adrenaline from before left them all, making everyone realize how tired they were. After several good byes were said, everyone headed to their respective rooms for some rest.

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><p>"Roxy wake up. Roxy!"<p>

There was a voice speaking into Roxy's ear, asking her to wake up, but she was so tired. She wished she could sleep more. Then another voice spoke above her. "Lenalee, let me try."

Then she heard the same voice again, this time in her ear, whispering, "Roxanne Wilder Cross, if you do not wake up now, I'm telling everyone that you're Master's daughter." Roxy was immediately awake and alert, glaring at the smug Allen who was seated beside her on the ground, a Cheshire grin on his face while Lenalee looked bemused from the sidelines.

Now that Roxy was fully awake, she scanned her surroundings, which consisted of **(A/N: 1stly, I don't know how Lenalee's room looks like, so I'm guessing here.)** stone gray walls, and a simple bed on one side of the room where Lenalee had slept in. The younger girl had been quick to offer her own bed to Roxy, but Roxy had declined, choosing to sleep on the cold stone floor instead since Roxy was used to it. Roxy had fallen asleep instantly then, grateful for her ability to sleep instantly.

"Hey Roxy, breakfast time." This had an immediate effect on Roxy and she was up and ready, still wearing a simple shirt and black pants, along with a pair of scuffed boots that showed signs of long use. Allen and Lenalee began chatting to her, talking about the Order and such as they led the way to the cafeteria. Roxy listened with interest to the conversation. While she may have learned about the Order through her letters with Allen, it was always wonderful to talk to her god brother face to face. And speaking of Allen, she had noted the lingering smiles of his on Lenalee, how he seemed much happier in her presence and blushed lightly whenever Lenalee praised Allen and spoke of his successes out in the battlefield.

_I think they're in love,_ Roxy mused to herself. But from the look of things, they didn't know that they were in love with each other. Roxy sighed and shook her head with a slight smile. She was not here to play matchmaker, but if there was time, she would do so.

At last, they reached the cafeteria, where Allen was quick to introduce her to the head chef Jerry before he recited a list of what he wanted for breakfast. As always, the white head ended his long recitation with a request for thirty mitarashi dango. Roxy rolled her eyes at this, and draped an arm over Allen's shoulder. "Hey Allen, it seems your love for mitarashi dango will never change, right?" Roxy joked.

The teenager mock glared at his best friend and god sister. "That's because it tastes great, Roxy! You should try it yourself." Allen protested. Roxy rolled her eyes, and stepped forwards. Jerry the chef was quick to start up a conversation with her.

"Hello there, little beauty! You must be Roxy, and I'm Jerry the head chef! What would you like?" Jerry asked with his usual grin.

Roxy smiled and started a recitation. "Let's see, thirty mitarashi dango since Allen wants me to try it, twenty sets of bacon and scrambled eggs…" Roxy recited a long list of her favorite foods, making Jerry's eyebrows rise in surprise, Lenalee's eyes widen, and Allen snicker at the others' surprise.

"Roxy's scythe is a parasitic type Innocence. It's kept inside her so we can't see it till she summons it into her hand," Allen explained. Roxy ignored them and just collected her food, waiting for Lenalee to finish and collect her breakfast order before following them to a table where Lavi, Link and Timothy were waiting. Lavi and Timothy looked excited at the sight of Roxy while Link looked grumpily at Allen.

"Where were you, Walker? I woke up this morning to find your bed empty and your falcon glaring at me, " Link snapped, holding up an equally grumpy looking Talon who snapped his beak at Link before flapping over to a delighted Roxy.

"I missed you SO much, Talon! You look good aren't you?" Roxy crooned to the falcon that had landed on Roxy's shoulder and started preening himself, oblivious to his mistress' crooning. Lavi couldn't help but laugh aloud at the scene, earning him a glare from Roxy as Allen tried to explain to Link that he had merely gone to wake Roxy up.

Without further ado, Roxy dug into her food promptly with a speed equaling Allen's. "So Roxy, I notice that you're wearing guns as well. Why do you carry guns even though you have your scythe to protect you?" Lavi asked. The blonde haired girl managed to pause in her eating to answer.

"That's because my guns are equipment type Innocence. Therefore, I own both equip AND parasitic type Innocence." Roxy said off handedly, oblivious to the jaw dropping from Lenalee, Timothy, Link and Lavi. Allen merely resumed eating since he had always known about Roxy owning two types of Innocence.

"Then you're just like General Cross! Is that why you are his apprentice as well?" Link questioned.

"Something like that," Roxy mumbled around her mouthful of eggs before she managed to swallow and start chugging down a glass of water.

Lavi fixed his eye on Roxy before musing aloud, "He took you in as his pupil because you're his daughter, right?" At this, Allen and Roxy choked on their food at the same time, Roxy spraying out her mouthful of water straight into Link's face since he had been unfortunate enough to sit opposite her, and Allen just choked on his food, leading Lenalee to pat his back in concern, while the rest started in shock at Lavi's words.

"WHAT?!" Allen and Roxy chorused at the same time when they had managed to breathe in enough air to speak, exchanging looks of shock.

"Did the idiot white head tell you?" Roxy demanded, glaring at Allen while hastily offering a handkerchief to Link in apology. Timothy and Lavi were busy laughing away at Link's sopping wet appearance as Allen fended off her glare with his hands raised in surrender, the look on his face clearly saying that he had not said anything.

Lavi brought Roxy's attention back to himself. "No one told me, I just guessed. I mean, firstly, your facial features are similar to General Cross, and last night, Allen nearly let it slip that you were the General's daughter, therefore the casual way you addressed General Cross." Lavi explained, making Roxy sigh ruefully.

Roxy spoke. "Guess the cat's out of the bag. Yup, I'm the daughter of General Cross Marian, who is an idiot and an womanizer. That guy abandoned my mom when she was four months pregnant with me, leaving my mother to raise me up alone as a single mother. Seeing as to how costly and stressful it was to raise me, my mom turned to prostitution to earn quick money. Day after day, I saw my mom bring home different men and hide me away so that I won't be noticed."

"When I was five, she started taking drugs to relive stress. It was harsh for me, living in that place, since drugs always put her in an abusive mood, leading me to hide whenever she came home. I was just eight when I finally ran away from home and started living on the streets, desperately trying to scrape a living by my own and also scavenge some food to eat. I was around nine or ten when I found my scythe, the parasitic type Innocence that I named Nightmare."

"I wasn't really looking for it then. I mean, I hadn't even found out about Innocence and akuma, so I didn't know what to do when I found a glowing green ball. Since I was starving, I ate it." Roxy had barely finished that sentence when she was interrupted by a shout from everyone except Allen, who had not paused in his eating.

"YOU ATE THE INNOCENCE?!" Was the shout echoed by them. Roxy merely blinked in response.

"Hey, I was just a kid then, and I was hungry too," Roxy retorted. "Now be quiet, and let me finish." The others calmed down enough for Roxy to talk.

"So I ate it, and felt better. I didn't feel hungry anymore for a day or two and thought nothing about it till I was eleven and ran into my first akuma. I was collecting scraps of food from this chef at a café that day. I've forgotten his name, but I'll never forget the kindness he showed me. He was the one who never talked down to me or treat me harshly. Instead, he treated me like his daughter since he had one back home and she was around my age. I was always given the scraps of the day or when there was little business, a proper meal."

"I remember him telling me that his daughter was always sick and in need of medicine, so he always worked hard to earn more money. His daughter must have died eventually, that's why the Earl came to him and made him an akuma. Anyway, I came to the café that night to collect the scraps of food he usually offered, and everything was normal up to the point where he turned into an akuma, probably because of the Innocence he sensed in me."

"I was… so scared then. I didn't understand why my friend had turned into a giant monster in front of me. I just wanted to run away, but the route out was blocked by him. So, when I saw him firing a bullet at me, I did the only thing I could; raise my arms to defend my head."

"Next thing I know, there was a huge green flash and I found myself holding a scythe. It was smaller then, since I was still a kid. I didn't know what to do, but when another bullet was fired, I just instinctively knew what to do. I just swung my scythe, cutting the bullet into half before I slashed the akuma, destroying it."

"The resulting explosion was noisy, and brought attention to the alleyway. I knew people would come to investigate, but I didn't know how to hide my scythe. I just wanted it to disappear, and next thing I know, the scythe disappeared. I eventually realized that my scythe was kept inside me somehow, and that I could summon it into my hand whenever I needed it."

"I still didn't know anything about akuma though, so I just assumed that it was a monster, and lost trust in everyone since I just assumed they were all monsters in disguise. I kept hunting down the akuma when I saw them, and people who saw me said that I looked like a nightmare with my scythe and ragged clothing. That was why I named my scythe Nightmare." Allen finished eating at that point, and took over the story.

"As you know, I was just twelve when Master and I first met Roxy. We had stopped at a pub for that night, and as usual, Master started flirting with all the women and ordered expensive foods, leaving me to pay all the debts. Therefore, I played poker against some men, and won a lot of money, until Roxy joined in."

"She had been observing from the sidelines, and decided to show me who's boss, so imagine my surprise when this beautiful fifteen year old girl came up to me and asked me if she could join in. I said yes, thinking that I could win against her. Instead, I found myself losing, and rather badly too. Halfway through the game, my eye activated, and I was quick to excuse myself, and head over to Master, whispering in his ear about the akuma. I didn't notice that Roxy had seen my strange behavior, and follow me."

"So we went out, spotted eight level ones, and started fighting. We had barely finished and Master was about to destroy the last one when Roxy came out of nowhere and cut it in half with her scythe, destroying it. I was so shocked to see her, and Master just looked surprised."

"What really surprised us were her next words, 'So you're monster hunters too?' I didn't know what to say, but Master replied, 'Depends on what type of monster you're talking about.' That was how we found out about Roxy being an accommodator too. When we began to introduce ourselves, Roxy said, 'If you're General Cross Marian, then I'm glad I found you, cos I've been looking for you for a while, Daddykins.' Master and I were so surprised that our jaws dropped and Roxy began laughing away." Allen recalled, smiling as he recalled the hilarious memory.

Lavi had another question then. "How did General Cross react to that name?"

Roxy answered with a grin, "He was so mad, and went, 'If you're really my daughter, then treat me with more respect, young lady.' So I replied, 'Sure, when you begin treating me more like your daughter and not another woman or pupil.' We could have argued more, if not for the Innocence he had on him to suddenly react and come to me. The Innocence split into two, and bonded with two revolvers which I had stolen and hidden in my clothes since I had been intending to sell it for money, therefore becoming my Wolf guns."

"So that's how you got two guns in the first place?" Timothy asked in fascination. Roxy nodded in reply. By then, she had finished her food, and gathered up the empty plates to dispose of them.

"But if you became General Cross' pupil, why didn't you come with Allen to the Black Order?" Leanlee asked. Roxy rubbed her head sheepishly at that, Talon by now asleep on her shoulder as Allen led the way to the training grounds for more conversation.

"It's rather embarrassing," Roxy confessed, "because Allen and I were supposed to arrive together. But after my old man left us in India, we travelled for a while until we came to Europe. I wanted to travel more and see the world, while Allen wanted to head straight for the Black Order. We eventually decided to split ways and promised to keep in contact through letters. When I wrote a letter to my dad and told him that we had split ways, he said he didn't care, but he did say that he wouldn't tell Supervisor Komui about me, so did he?" At this, Roxy turned to Allen, who nodded.

"I guess he did, since Komui never mentioned you." Allen replied. The rest of the walk was filled with questions for Roxy, who answered them the best she could, Allen chipping in every now and then.

"So when did you get Talon?" Lavi wanted to know.

Roxy thought for few minutes before replying, "Around one year after I met my dad and Allen, we were travelling through a forested town when I found Talon lying on the road, his wing broken. Since I have a soft spot for animals, I took Talon in and nursed him back to health. Ever since then, he has been close to me or Allen, and also a great indicator of Akuma activity since akumas tend to agitate him somehow. Funnily enough, Talon hates the idiot, and whenever my dad tries to coax Talon into landing on his arm, Talon will just glare at him and raise his talon, making my dad mad."

Lenalee asked the next question. "Why did you decide to come to the Order after travelling for so long?" Lenalee wanted to know.

"Travelling the world with only a falcon for company can be rather boring, so when Allen told me about his evolved Innocence and the Noahs, I decided to come to the Black Order and join up with my little god brother here," Roxy replied, winking at Allen, who flushed with embarrassment at the comment. Roxy wasn't finished though.

"Then again, he's not the only one I wanted to meet. I've been wondering, where is that old man of mine? I mean, given the fact that he's always so loud, I ought to have heard him by now?" Roxy asked, scanning the area, not noticing the shocked looks Lavi, Lenalee and Link were giving Allen.

"Allen, you never told her about the General?" Link was the first to ask. Roxy was quick to notice this, and with a seemingly uncaring manner, said, "If you're talking about my dad running off again after returning to the Order for a few months, I won't mind since he never liked staying in one place." However, Lavi could see the brief hurt in her eyes at this, and looked pointedly at Allen, silently urging the younger boy to talk.

Allen gave way to a resigned sigh before speaking. "Roxanne, I'm sorry that I never told you, but… Your dad… He's… dead. Roxanne, I'm sorry, but Master Cross died a few months back."

Roxy froze at his words, and felt shock. There was a roaring in her ears, and someone was crying away in the distance, weeping their grief. A pair of hands were on her shoulder, shaking her shoulders, asking her to say something, anything. But Roxy didn't want to hear. She slipped out from those hands, and wandered off, not knowing where to go, just wanting to be alone.

She walked and walked for what seemed like ages, recalling memories she had shared with her father, those rare times when he had stopped acting drunk and had been a proper father to her instead. She remembered sneaking into his room when she couldn't sleep, just standing at the door, watching him sleep, or else standing outside when he slept with another woman and just soaking in his presence. It didn't matter to her that he had never been much of a father to her even though he tried. His efforts proved to her that he truly loved her as his daughter.

Roxy finally got tired, and leaned against the wall, lifting her locket out of its hiding place on her silver chain necklace. She opened the simple rectangular gold locket to reveal a picture of her father, Allen and her. Her dad was seated on a chair and smoking in the picture, while Allen and her sat cross legged on the ground with cheerful grins. He had not been happy about the picture, complaining that it made him look ugly, but she didn't care. To her, it was her only memory of her dad. Talon, who had remained on her shoulder all this time, started to croon softly and preen her hair. Roxy couldn't help but smile sadly at this. "Thanks Talon, I feel better now." She whispered. Talon crooned again.

"Roxy? You alright?" Roxy looked up to see Allen, smiling that sad smile of his, while Timcanpy flew to her, rubbing his head against her cheek. The others stood behind him as well, all looking concerned for her. _I'm not alone, _Roxy thought to herself,_ since I have Allen as my family. _With that, she pushed herself off the wall, and nodded to them.

"Roxy?" Roxy was startled to hear Lenalee speak. "You're not alone, remember that, because here at the Black Order, we are all family." Roxy smiled at this.

"I know, so let's lay off the touchy feely stuff and get back to our conversation." Roxy reassured them with a bright smile. With that, she set off with her arms draped around Lavi and Allen, listening to them bicker among themselves even as she thought, _the Black Order is my family now, Dad, so you don't have to worry about me being alone. I'll walk my own path no matter what and make you proud._

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><p><strong>Raychaell: And there's the end of another chapter! Love it? Review then! And Roxy, stop crying.<strong>

**Roxy: I'm NOT! And anyway, why should I cry? That idiot never really treated me as his daughter anyway!**

**Raychaell: So you say… Anyway, those who review will get dedications in the next chapter, so review already!**


	3. The Heart of The Scythe

**Raychaell: HELLO! Thanks for your awesome reviews everyone! As promised, this chapter is hereby dedicated to FullmetalFan 16 and UsuiXMisakilover. Thanks for your reviews! Without further ado, I present to you Chapter 3, The Heart of The Scythe!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray Man. Only my OCs.**

_Italics – Memory_

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><p>Roxy studied her new room. It was a little dark, but the best thing about it was there was a window, making it easy for Talon to go out and hunt by himself instead of depending on her all the time for food. With a sigh, she unslung her backpack, which she had hid a few nights ago at the hall of the Black Order. After all, she had not known whether Allen's directions were correct, seeing as to how he tended to get himself hopelessly lost almost all the time in large places.<p>

Roxy started unpacking, Talon observing her from his perch on the study desk and chair provided. There was also a mirror and a small bed in the room, and Roxy chose to set her bag on the bed itself. Talon's portable perch and bird dish was the first to be unpacked. It consisted of a long wooden rod with a circular base, one large circular metal tray to act as waste collector, and a short wooden rod as the perch. Two metal cups held water for drinking and strips of beef jerky respectively and a leather ball served as a toy to sharpen his talons with. It was a simple contraption, and easy to assemble and disassemble too.

Roxy set about placing her things into their respective drawers before shoving her backpack under the bed. With that, she observed her reflection in the mirror. It showed her flushed appearance, eyes full of excitement, and her hair in casual disarray. Her silver necklace was, once again, hidden beneath the blue cotton shirt she wore, with her black leather jacket to protect her from the cold.

Then there was a knock at the door, and Roxy opened it to reveal Allen, Lavi, Link and Lenalee. They were also joined by a guy wearing a white lab coat and looked somewhat familiar… "Hey Roxy, meet Komui, brother to Lenalee and also our supervisor. He was among the ghost hunting party yesterday night." Lavi introduced. Komui smiled at her and extended his hand for her to shake. Roxy shook it with a smile too.

"Any reason for all of you to come to my door even though it's not lunch yet?" Roxy asked curiously.

"We're bringing you to Hevlaska to check your synchronization rate with your Innocences." Lavi explained.

"Then what's Two Spots doing here?" She asked in a droll manner. Link flushed in anger at the nickname while Lavi and Allen laughed away. Lenalee looked in annoyance at the laughing boys while Komui shook his head in amusement.

"I'm just here to observe Walker, nothing else." Link snapped angrily. Roxy grinned wide at this, and was quick to reply.

"So you're the stalker that Allen was complaining about in his letters." Roxy said cheerfully, making Lavi and Allen laugh even harder. Komui sighed ruefully before he led the way to the lower levels where Hevlaska was.

"So what has Allen told you about Hevlaska?" Lavi questioned eagerly while they all stood in the lift that would take them to Hevlaska. Roxy pondered the question for a while before she had a reply.

"Not much, except how a certain BaKanda hurt his left arm and nearly killed him before a beautiful girl by the name of Lenalee Lee saved his life, leading him to have to undergo repair conducted by Komui, which was apparently a traumatic experience. Then Allen was given no warning that he'll have to meet Hevlaska, and had a huge shock when he first met her," Roxy said in a teasing manner. Lavi cracked up again, while Lenalee blushed at the comment about her beautiful.

Allen protested with an embarrassed blush. "I never said that much in the first place!" Komui, however, seemed to have acquired several deadly looking weapons out of nowhere, making her blink in surprise and Link sigh in defeat.

"Allen Walker, what are your intentions towards my precious Lenalee?" Komui asked, a deadly aura surrounding him even as his eyes glinted madly. Allen and Lavi started cringing behind Lenalee in their fear, Link staying where he was while Roxy stood her ground.

"Nee – san, stop threatening Allen," Lenalee chided her brother even as she gave him a warning glare and Roxy's hands twitched towards her guns in preparation to shoot Komui if he tried to attack Allen. Komui, seeing the threats directed towards him, was wise enough to stop, and just in time too, since they reached Hevlaska.

Having been warned by Allen in advance, Roxy didn't resist when Hevlaska's arms reached towards Roxy, and handed over her guns to be checked. "So you are the daughter of General Cross himself, and possess two types of Innocence too, just like your father." Hevlaska mused aloud. Roxy merely blinked, showing no signs of being affected by her father's name.

"For equipment type, your synchronization rate is 3… 8… 15… 25… 36… 50… 67… 88. The highest you and your weapon synchronization rate is 88%. Impressive indeed," Hevlaska said. "Now may you summon your scythe?"

Roxy nodded, and after a quick warning to the other to get back, she took a deep breath and seemed to grab something invisible in front of her with her left hand. Her right hand hovered palm down over her left fist and swept right even as Roxy spoke out loud. "My Nightmare, to me." There was a bright green flash as she spoke these words and everyone watched in awe as the same giant scythe from last night appeared in her hand, her right hand grabbing the long silver staff. When the scythe was fully formed, Roxy gave way to a few experimental swings, showing no strain in her movements as she swung it around, and her crescent blade singing as it swung through the air. When she was done, Roxy, with one hand, tossed it up to Hevlaska, who grabbed it with her arms.

Allen spoke as Hevlaska checked Roxy's synch rate. "Still a show off aren't you, Roxy?" Roxy stuck out her tongue at her friend in response, making Lavi laugh again. Hevlaska was quick to bring everyone's attention back to her with her words.

"Your synchronization rate with your scythe is 90%. **(A/N: An apology to UsuiXMisakilover. I know Roxy's supposed to be normal, not a Mary sue, but her synch rate with her scythe is high for a good reason. Read on to find out why.)** Interesting… It seems your scythe contains the Heart we've been searching for." Hevlaska said calmly while the rest all shared a jaw dropping moment.

"Nightmare contains the HEART?" Everyone, including Allen and Roxy yelled simultaneously.

"Let me get this straight. You're saying _my_ Nightmare, _my_ scythe and favorite weapon of choice in battling akuma, contains the_ HEART OF INNOCENCE?_" Roxy asked in shock, while the rest shared similar shocked looks. Hevlaska nodded, making Roxy mutter angrily under her breath and pace around.

Lavi then questioned Allen. "Not even you and General Cross knew about Roxy's scythe?" Allen shook his head and opened his mouth to respond, only to be interrupted by Roxy.

"No one knew! I mean, yes, my scythe is rather unusual, but I never thought much about it at all! I just thought that my Nightmare was special like Allen's Crown Clown!" Roxy said in a heated manner.

"Well, since your scythe contains the Heart, I would advise you to be careful with it, young Exorcist. After all, if the Noahs learn about it, they'll hunt you down and kill you to get the Heart that's inside your scythe. If they destroy the Heart, then we will lose this battle against the Earl and the Noahs." Hevlaska said. This made Roxy give way to a long line of colorful curses, words so foul that they made Komui cover Lenalee's ears in an attempt to preserve her innocent ears, Lavi look awed, Allen laugh again, and Link looked scandalized.

"Great," she muttered when she was done cursing, "It's bad enough that I'm an Exorcist with two Innocences to deal with. Now I have to contend with that effing Noah family as well? Why is the whole world against me?" This last sentence was uttered with a small wail from her.

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><p>The return trip up was spent with a moody Roxy being comforted by Allen and Lavi. "Hey cheer up Roxy. Why don't we talk about other things like, how on Earth did you learn that many words? I mean, I'm a Bookman and frequent traveller myself, so I've picked up some language myself. But none of them equal yours so can you tell me how you learned them?" Lavi asked in an attempt to cheer Roxy up.<p>

Roxy managed a small chuckle at this. "It comes from growing up with a dad and Master who has a tendency to cuss rather fluently when he is upset, and also sleeping in bars and inns that are filled with men who curse a lot." Allen and Roxy gave way to similar shudders upon remembering Cross, while Lavi and Lenalee looked at them with similar expressions of sympathy.

When they reached the top, Komui led the way to the Science Department, explaining, "You need a uniform now that you're an Exorcist, so why not get yourself measured first before you go for your lunch?" Roxy understood, and when introduced to the Science Department, Roxy was quick to cheer up when she met the scientists, talking and laughing with them.

When Regory Peck **(A/N: He's a funny guy so I couldn't resist writing about him! If you don't know who he is, read the wiki on him or else re - read volume 17, chapter 171 of the manga. You'll understand why I wrote about him when you read the wiki.)** attempted to ogle Roxy and Lenalee, everyone witnessed the true rage of Roxanne Wilder Cross.

Roxy had been eagerly chatting with Johnny, she had spied him staring at her chest and legs for too long to be normal. Not to mention, she also saw him ogling the oblivious Lenalee who was talking with the rest of the scientists. Her temper grew at this, and Roxy was quick over to leap over a desk that was in between her and the scientist, shocking everyone when she drew both her guns in an eye blink and jabbed their muzzles straight into the scientist's forehead.

"What, do you think _you're_ doing?" Roxy asked in a sickly sweet voice. The unfortunate scientist sweat dropped at the threat in front of him as Roxy's trigger finger twitched, ready to shoot. Allen was quick to intervene then.

"ROXY! You can't threaten the scientist!" Allen chided sharply, putting himself between Roxy and Regory.

"Oh come on, why can't I threaten to kill a good for nothing pervert?!" Roxy protested in annoyance. Allen rolled his eyes and hissed.

"Normally I wouldn't mind, but we are in public for god's sake! Watch your manners! Come on, let's get out of here." Allen said firmly, grabbing a reluctant Roxy by the arm. Everyone watched in amusement as Roxy was dragged out, but were surprised when she took advantage of a single free arm to shoot.

"Innocence activate, Hellbiters, Level one!" Roxy hollered and fired at Regory who had his back turned to her. A strange creature that looked like the cross of a shark and an eel and was the size of a small dog wriggled out of the gun barrel and headed straight for him, biting straight into the butt of the unfortunate scientist. Regory howled in agony and tried to escape, only to continue to get nipped by the Hellbiter. Roxy gave way to a dark grin of triumph at this, only to yelp in pain when a gloved hand whacked the back of her head.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR YOU EFFING BASTARD?!" Roxy howled, glaring at Allen who had a look of disapproval and annoyance.

"How many times must I tell you NOT to unleash Hellbiters on others?" Allen questioned with a long suffering manner.

"But that was a perv for God's sake! I had to defend my dignity!" Roxy protested.

"Master's a pervert as well but I don't see you regularly unleashing Hellbiters on him." Allen answered deadpanned. Roxy opened her mouth, ready to argue, only to shut up and flush in embarrassment.

"He's my old man and Master too. If I unleash Hellbiters too many times, he'll just cuss and refuse to teach me how he manages to be a dead shot!" Roxy protested weakly. Allen wasn't convinced; he just stared at his older god sibling until she groaned in exasperation and turned back to the still running Regory who was having an unsuccessful time escaping the Hellbiter.

With a reluctant sigh, Roxy called out, "Hellbiter, cease attack and self-destruct." The Hellbiter immediately stopped biting Regory and promptly exploded, leaving no trace of its presence. Relieved, the battered scientist crawled to his feet, only to be stopped by a demonic smile from Roxy that guaranteed nightmares for the lecherous scientist.

"If you promise not to ogle anymore women, I will spare you. But if you ignore my warning, I'll ensure that you be my target practice when I'm using Hellbiter rounds. Understand?" Roxy said sharply. Regory nodded eagerly at this. Roxy smiled as she sheathed her guns and pulled over a chair to sit in while Allen gave her an approving pat on the head, earning him a glare as the curious crowd of scientists dispersed.

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><p>When it was lunchtime, Roxy was given her uniform. It consisted of a jacket that was mostly black with red highlights. There were also a pair of pants among the pile of clothes and it was all black, same as the boots provided which reached up to her mid calves. Someone had included a pair of gloves for her, and to Roxy's delight, new leather hostlers for her guns which she was quick to change and strap to her thighs.<p>

Roxy was quick to change and reveal her new look to the boys who waited in the cafeteria. "What do you think?" Roxy asked, twirling around, showing off her new outfit. Needless to say, Lavi, once again, tried to hug her, only to get a punch to the jaw for his efforts. Allen and Lenalee praised her, while Link remained as impassive as ever. With that, they got their lunch and ate, chatting as they did.

That night, Roxy tossed and turned restlessly in her new bed while Talon slept on, oblivious to her restlessness. Giving up on sleep, Roxy slipped out of bed partly dressed in a white shirt and her new pants, before putting on her shoes and jacket. She rummaged in her backpack till she found a small black case. Satisfied, she left her room quietly, heading for the courtyard, which Allen had shown her during the day. Once out, Roxy breathed in the cool night air with a smile and headed for a bench. She sat upon it and opened the black case to reveal a silver harmonica.

With a sigh, Roxy fingered the silver instrument, tracing the name engraved upon it. 'Roxanne' was the name engraved, and inside the case was a slip of folded paper nestled in the red silk lining. Roxy took out the letter, and read it silently. It read:

'To my daughter Roxy,

Happy 16th birthday. I know it's totally unlike me to write you a letter OR give you a present in the first place, but seeing as to how you're quickly growing up into a headstrong woman who is ready to take on the world, I decided that a present was needed. Before you ask why I bought you this harmonica when you obviously can't play, the reason is because I saw you eyeing it the other day and also overheard you asking about the price. Since you liked it so much but can't afford it, I decided to get it for you using the money you and Allen had managed to earn.

You see, when I first met you one year ago and found out you were my daughter, I felt very guilty that I left your mother and you. I swear I had no idea that your mother was pregnant when I left her. So when I found out about you and also how she abused you as a kid, I felt guilty.

Damn it, I don't know how to write this at all without being too soppy. Sigh… Anyway, I decided to get you this harmonica seeing as to how I never showed you much care in the first place. Happy 16th birthday. Hope I didn't go wrong with the letter and harmonica. I decide to get it engraved to prove to you that this was not a random gift. Hope you like it. If you hate it, sell it, and then give me back my money. I still need the money to buy more wine. I'll leave this letter inside the case. Before you ask about the messy wrapping, I wanted to try it out, but failed. Hope you like the harmonica.

Cross Marian.'

Roxy wept silently, the tears flowing down her cheeks as she held the letter and instrument case tightly to her chest. She had found the case beneath her pillow on her 16th birthday. It was a messy and unknown bundle of wrapping paper at first sight, and Roxy had no idea what it was until she found the instrument case and the small letter concealed inside. Ever since then, she had treasured it and kept it close to her. She had tried to thank him during one of those rare moments when he was clear headed, only for him to brush him off. Still, she knew that her dad had been pleased through his actions when he had lessened the pile of debts a little, easing her burden.

"Dad", she whispered, "I miss you so much, so much it hurts." _You promised. You promised you would always be by my side no matter what, be it by mind or by physical presence. _" 'I can never die from a lowly akuma attack like that.' That was what you told me, remember? _I still remember that day, when you got hurt trying to save my life. I was mad at you for risking your life, but you told me that I was important since I was an Exorcist. You were in so much pain that you had to go to the hospital but when I called you a fool for hiding your pain, you just looked at me, called me an idiot for calling you a fool. You said you were strong. But I saw into your eye. I saw that small sadness you tried to hide when you saw me mad at you. So I never said anything._ You are a fool for breaking your promise, a stupid fool who abandoned his own daughter."

She didn't know how long she stayed there, the tears flowing freely now that there was no one to see her grieve. With trembling hands, she scrubbed her face clean of tears and picked the harmonica up. After a slight hesitation, she began to play.

Granted, she didn't know how to play the harmonica, seeing as to how she never got formal lessons. Then again, learning from scratch was something Roxy was used to. Heck, she had no time or money for lessons anyway, seeing as to how they always travelled and had little money to spend thanks to her idiot old man. Still, Roxy felt pleased that she still could play rather well, albeit out of tune in a few places and also some glaring mistakes that made her wince. She was halfway through her first attempt when she sensed the presence. She ignored it.

It was at the end of her second attempt on the harmonica that Roxy decided that the idiot who was bothering her wasn't leaving, so she sighed, putting down the harmonica even as she called out, not bothering to look. "Whoever you are, you're annoying me, and I hate people who annoy me. Do you know that I used to carve up people with my scythe or riddle them with holes just for annoying me? If you do not want that fate, please, show yourself before I get mad."

A chuckle answered her bored litany and the person who had chuckled stepped into a vision, revealing a very familiar face. He had short brown hair that was slicked back neatly, and sharp eyes stared at her as gloved hands came together to make a muffled clapping sound. "Excellent observation there, Miss Roxanne Wilder Cross, daughter to the deceased General Cross Marian himself, my name is Special Inspector Malcolm C. Lveille. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Roxy stared at the Inspector with undisguised hostility in her gaze. Putting away her harmonica in the case, she closed it with a snap before she spoke. "I know who you are, _Inspector._ It was you who accused Allen of being the Fourteenth Noah, and also future traitor to the Black Order. And you should know very well that I hate the name Roxanne, since Link is your spy." Each word she said dripped with undisguised hatred as she slowly got up, stuffing the harmonica case into her jacket before she summoned her scythe once more and stalked forward to the Inspector.

"Now tell me, _what do you really want from me_?" Roxy hissed, swinging her scythe so that the long blade was inches away from his neck. The Inspector did not move, and when he tried to intimidate her by staring her down, Roxy was prepared and showed her ghost eyes to him.

As a child, Roxy had been born with pale eyes, paler than her mother's, so pale that her mother once called her a freak with ghost eyes during her drug hazes. This had led Roxy to hate her own eyes, but it proved useful sometimes when she had to intimidate others. And it seemed effective, since she saw the Inspector blink in shock, before recovering his composure. He spoke then. "Are you threatening me?"

Roxy gave way to a small bark of laughter. "Me, threaten an Inspector like you? No thanks. You're not worth my time." With that, Roxy removed the scythe from its position and waved her hand over it, this time inwards along the staff itself. The scythe disappeared in the same bright green smoke as before when she first summoned it for Hevlaska. The Inspector spoke again. "That scythe contains the Heart, correct?" His sharp gaze was now filled with fascination as he looked at her.

Ignoring him, Roxy made sure to bump him as she moved past him, heading for her room. But the Inspector's next words stopped her. "Walker will become the Fourteenth Noah one day, and if he shows any signs of becoming a Noah, all Exorcists have been ordered to report it at once. If he does turn into a Noah, they have also been instructed to kill him immediately. Can you do that to someone who is the last link to your father and also the one whom you call 'brother'?" Roxy sighed at this, before calling back a reply.

"Firstly, Allen will never become a Noah willingly. His faith is too strong for him to submit to that fact. Secondly, Noah or not, I will do _anything_ to protect him because, he is my friend and my brother, Allen Walker, not the Noah, the Exorcist, the Musician or the Fourteenth. He is, to me, Allen Walker, my annoying little god brother whom I love to tease so much. Nothing will ever change that fact, so good night, Special Inspector Malcolm C. Lveille." With that small declaration done, Roxy headed for her room, leaving the Inspector in the courtyard.

That night, in her room, Roxy gazed out of the window, her jacket on the back of the chair. "I will protect him for you, Father. That's a promise!" With that, she turned in for the night, her mind eased of its burden.

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><p><strong>Raychaell: All right! Love it? Review then! And before I forget, the next chapter will be an Omake! I will be taking in requests for funny pairings or hilarious situations. Simply review and tell me what you want and I'll dedicate that idea to you! A sneak peek of the next chapter:<strong>

"_Eliade! I've missed you so much!" Krory cried out happily, clinging on to the confused Roxy._

"_Eh? But my name's Roxy, NOT Eliade!" Roxy replied, trying unsuccessfully to push the lovesick Exorcist away while Allen, Lavi, Lenalee, and Timothy laughed away in the background._

**Love it? Want more? Then review with more ideas and those that I like will get written out!**


	4. Omake: 3 stories in 1!

**Raychaell: Hello there everyone! Sorry about the long wait, but I had writer's block, and NO ONE SENT ME SUGGESTIONS FOR THE OMAKE! Never mind… First off, I would like to thank those who left all your lovely reviews on my story. I also wish to thank all those who added me as their favorite author and favorite stories! I want to thank my books, my lovely mind - * gets a punch to the head * Owww… Roxy!**  
><strong>Roxy: You were babbling. Now let's get on with it! Raych doesn't own D. Gray Man, only her OCs.<strong>

**Raychaell: HEY! I was supposed to do the disclaimer, not you!**

**Roxy: Shut up before I send my Hellbiters after you.**

**Raychaell: EEKK!By the way, I'm thinking of giving Roxy a twin brother named Roxas who died in childbirth, but whose soul still exists in Roxy. What do you guys think? Opinions are welcome!**

**[A/N: Edited 24/5/2013]**

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><p><strong>A Doomed Relationship (This is dedicated to Gold Phantom! When you asked for Roxy x Allen, I got this awesome idea, so thank you for your review and suggestion!)<strong>

It was another pleasant day at the Order, and Lavi, Allen, Roxy and Lenalee, who had just returned from a mission, relaxed in the warm sunlight shining down in the courtyard. It had been a week ever since Roxy joined the Black Order, and by right, she should have gone on at least one mission already, but since she had the Heart in her scythe, some higher ranked people in Central had decided that Roxy wasn't allowed to go for any missions for the time being until they found something safe for her. This had caused Roxy to swear fluently once more when Komui told her the news. Therefore, a moody Roxy hung around the Black Order, bored out of her wits while the others tried to cheer her up by telling her funny tales of the mishaps they got into at the Black Order or during missions.

Now Roxy stared at the sky, half listening to Lavi as he told her funny stories about Allen during his time in the Black Order while Talon had flown off to hunt, leaving her alone, feeling half drowsy until she remembered something. "Hey Allen, remember when you were 13 and I was 16? Still remember that day when we went on the picnic date?"

This caused everyone to sit up at once. "You dated Roxy?" Lavi questioned with amazement and shock plain on his face. Allen scratched his head, plainly trying to remember. Then an expression akin to horror and shock appeared on his face as he remembered.

"I remember now! Roxy, why did you make me remember that horrible day?" Allen wailed comically. Roxy merely giggled in response before bursting into laughter.

"Come on you two; tell us already the full story!" Lavi whined, poking Allen who seemed to have gone into depression while Roxy kept laughing away. At last, after several minutes of badgering from Lavi, Roxy wiped off her tears of laughter, managing to stop laughing enough to speak coherently.

"All right everyone, gather around and listen closely to this story of a date that was doomed from the start." Everyone, including miserable Allen, gathered around eagerly to listen. Roxy started.

"I remember that day very well. It was two months before my birthday, and at that time, Allen had a major crush on me. He deluded himself into thinking that he was in love with me, and he tried to do everything he could to make me happy. At that time, I didn't really understand why Allen was so nice to me, and I just thought that because that stupid old man is our master and my father, so he was helping me to let me know I was not alone in our despise of my stupid dad."

"Then when he was 13, he finally summoned the guts to tell me he loved me, but that was done with a lot of stuttering, and the first time I asked him to repeat what he said, white head here ran off. It took several minutes of coaxing to make him repeat his words again. When he did, I was surprised, but decided to try dating him. Needless to say, our first date was an epic failure."

"First of all, Allen managed to save up enough money to buy a feast for us both, and we decided to meet at a nearby hill during the morning when my old man was still fast asleep. We sneaked out, met up, and had a pleasant meal, until he spotted four level ones nearby. We destroyed them, managed to finish our meal and still have time to relax. It was halfway during this that Allen tried something stupid."

"He decided that since I was in a good mood, he would try kissing me. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I was so shocked that I just froze, and being the idiot that he is, Allen tried to do it with tongue like what he read about. He tried to nibble on my lip, but he…" At this point of the story, Roxy started to burst into a fit of giggles while Allen put his head in his hands and groaned. Lavi and Lenalee were confused, Lenalee a little jealous to know that Allen and Roxy were once in a relationship.

"Finish the story, Roxy. Don't leave us on a cliffhanger!" Lavi whined. This served to only make Roxy giggle even harder and Allen groan even more loudly. Eventually Allen, seeing as to how two sets of pleading gazes were fixed upon him, especially one belonging to the girl he loved, mumbled the ending.

"I… Bit Roxy's tongue and caused it to bleed." Lavi and Lenalee blinked, exchanging startled glances at this piece of news, before bursting into laughter, Lavi laughing away hysterically while Allen blushed in embarrassment. This only served to make Roxy laugh out loud.

Then Lavi asked, "Did General Cross find out?" At this Roxy laughed even harder as Allen muttered a reply.

"He found out about it, called me an idiot for trying to date his daughter when I was clearly a good for nothing. Then he told Roxy that she should date someone who is rich and handsome, like him. At this, Roxy called him a good for nothing-lazy ass slob who did nothing but drink wine and flirt with women all day. He became rather mad at this, and gave us more debts to pay off. It was one of the worst days of my life." At this miserable wail, Roxy, Lenalee and Lavi couldn't hold in their laughter any longer. They gave way to similar hoots of laughter, tears streaming down as they held their sides when the cramps of laughing too long and hard started.

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><p><strong>Mistaken Identity (I got this inspiration from reading up on Eliade on the wiki. I realized both my OC and her have blond hair, and then got this crazy idea: What happens if our favorite vampire exorcist mistakes Roxy for Eliade? Read on to find out!)<strong>

Roxy stood patiently just outside the Ark gate room with Lavi, Timothy, Allen and Lenalee. According to Lavi, Lenalee and Allen, they wanted her to meet their best friend Arystar Krory III. He was a parasitic type as well and Allen had talked about him many times in their letters, mentioning the Exorcist's kind and somewhat timid nature. Now she looked forward to meeting him in the flesh.

Then there was a ripple on the flat surface of the Ark gate as a few finders emerged from it, their ripped uniforms showing signs of a hard battle. Finally Krory himself appeared, his uniform showing a few rips and tears while his weary expression made Lenalee rush forward in concern, her eyes looking worriedly at the few bruises and cuts visible on his face. "Are you all right Krory?" Lenalee asked in concern. Krory managed a smile at her in response and was quick to reassure her.

"I'm fine, Lenalee. I'm just tired after a hard battle with a swarm of level twos." He said gently, dark eyes crinkling in happiness at the girl. That was, until he spotted Roxy, who stood by the side preening Talon who wanted attention. Krory immediately forgot about the rest, his eyes widening at the sight of Roxy as he rushed forward and hugged her tightly, Talon flapping away in startlement.

"Eliade! I've missed you so much!" Krory cried out happily, clinging on to the confused Roxy.

"Eh? But my name's Roxy, NOT Eliade!" Roxy replied, trying unsuccessfully to push the lovesick Exorcist away while Allen, Lavi, Lenalee, and Timothy laughed away in the background at the sight of a confused Roxy. That was until she glared daggers at them, and her free hands twitched towards her guns, reminding them of her Hellbiter rounds.

Lavi tried his best to stifle his laughter and spoke, "Crow – chan, you've gotten it all wrong! That's not Eliade; she's Roxanne Wilder, the newest Exorcist. And before I forget, call her Roxy or she'll punch you." This seemed to get through to Krory, who blinked in confusion. It had been agreed amongst them that Roxy's parentage would not be revealed seeing as to how Roxy hated her parentage and wanted to be normal.

"But you look just like my Eliade." Krory said, no longer hugging her but still standing nearby. He tilted his head to take a better look at her, and the moment he saw Roxy's pale eyes, Krory realized his mistake, and was quick to apologize.

"I'm so sorry! I thought you were Eliade. Please forgive me!" Roxy chuckled at this fervent apology from Krory, and extended her hand for a handshake as she introduced herself.

"As Lavi just said, the name's Roxanne Wilder, but I prefer Roxy. Nice to meet you!" Roxy greeted cheerfully.

Krory looked at her, and stammered a reply. "M-m-my n-n-name is Arystar Krory the Third. Nice to meet you too." With that, he shook her hand timidly and was given a bright smile.

"Now, shall we go have a meal? After all, I'm starving!" Roxy said, her words echoed by the rest. With that, Roxy and Allen hooked their arms through his on either side, and he found himself being led to the cafeteria with the rest behind them. Sneaking a glance at Roxy, Krory saw an exuberant grin that matched Allen's in volume. _Not Eliade. She's dead. This is Roxy, _Krory told himself. With that, he allowed himself to be led to the cafeteria with his new comrade.

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><p>A Prank Gone Wrong<p>

Roxy was reading in the library, Talon perched on her shoulder and half asleep. The female Exorcist and her falcon were by now a familiar sight to the Order, especially since she had adopted many of Allen's mannerisms, making them seem more like brother and sister as days passed.

"Hey Roxy!" Roxy looked up at the familiar voice even as she flipped to another page. She was dressed in her usual casual outfit, which consisted of a simple shirt and pants, and gloves for handling Talon.

"Hey Lavi. You're reading too?" Roxy greeted the red head. Lavi grinned in reply and held up the large stack of books he held in his arms.

"Gramps gave me this stack to finish. He said that he wanted me to memorize and recite the entire Iron Age to him. **(A/N: Made that up on the spot. I was thinking of Napoleon, but I didn't know if he died yet, and I was feeling lazy, so I didn't bother to check.)** That's why I reading up all there is on that subject now." Lavi explained. Roxy smiled and shook her head in sympathy. She had met Bookman, and he had been surprisingly courteous to her, which made her suspect that Lavi had been lying about him being an abusive old man. Then again, she had witnessed personally the consequences of Lavi calling Bookman 'Panda'. The kick itself from Bookman was enough to gain her respect and admiration. After all, who had the guts to insult, numerous times in fact, an elderly man who could kick you in the head and leave a crater in the wall he kicked you into?

"Well then, I better go to my room. Talon needs his rest, and I want to take a nap before dinner." With that Roxy rose, closing the book she had been reading, ready to return to her room, only to be stopped by Lavi.

"Lavi, can you please move? You're blocking my way." Roxy stated calmly, raising an eyebrow. Lavi just moved from foot to foot, blushing crimson as he looked down in an awkward manner at his books. Roxy sighed, and moved to the side, only to be blocked again. This pissed her off, and she gave Lavi a glare that promised a Hellbiter round even as her hands twitched towards her guns.

"Roxy, can you stay with me a little longer? I mean, just a while. Not too long I promise!" Lavi pleaded, but Roxy was past listening. She swung her book towards Lavi's head, who dodged it immediately, but was unprepared when she dropped to the ground and swung her left leg, knocking his legs out from under him. With a grunt of surprise Lavi collapsed to the ground, the books he once held now strewn all over him as he struggled to rise. Roxy merely stepped over him; while the now fully awake Talon flapped his wings in annoyance at the jouncing he had received from her sudden movement. After a few murmured apologies and assurances the irritated falcon calmed down and resettled himself on her shoulder, giving way to an occasional complaint when he was unhappy.

Even as she walked, Roxy couldn't help but think to herself about her father's death. Allen had told her about the mystery surrounding Cross' death. The fact that he had been shot to the head then disappeared was puzzling to her. What was the purpose in stealing her dad's corpse in the first place when he was already dead? Not to mention, his Judgment had been left alone, and all the blood found at the scene belonged to him, so he clearly was dead. Sigh… She really ought to stop thinking about her father since he was part of the past now.

Roxy nodded absentmindedly to the finders and scientists as she strolled past them to her room, only to be halted by a small weight crashing into her, making her rock on her heels and Talon squawk in surprise at the sudden collision. "Eh?" Roxy exclaimed in surprise as she looked down to see Timothy who had not been as fortunate as her. Instead of keeping his balance, he had fallen on his butt to the ground and he now rubbed his painful bottom even as he complained. "Hey! Watch where you're going next time!" With that, he looked up only to balk at the sight of Roxy leaning over him in concern.

"Sorry Timothy," Roxy apologized even as she extended a hand to help him up, "I didn't notice you. You all right?" Timothy nodded dazedly, before seemingly snapping back to reality and, strangely enough, releasing her hand and running away from Roxy. She turned and observed the nervous boy bolt off hurriedly on his roller skates, leaving confused finders and scientists in his wake.

"Huh. Wonder what's wrong with him." Roxy mused aloud to herself, both Talon and her staring quizzically at the disappearing back of Timothy before heading for her room once more. Opening the door, Roxy stepped in only to widen her eyes in horror.

Her once neat room, with all her possessions stacked neatly in their respective places, now looked like a warzone with all her belongings strewn around messily the place, and the bird stand where Talon usually perched was in pieces, the food and water spilled on the ground. Her bed was wet and the blankets and covers had been torn into strips, her wooden furniture all scratched.

"No fucking way…" Roxy breathed in shock, Talon adding his opinion with an angered cry. She thought furiously to herself, wondering who had been in her room after her and also been able to do all this to her neat room. Her mind immediately went to Lavi and Timothy, since the two of them had shown weird behavior when she ran into them. Then she heard a buzz, and then a click before a familiar voice came through.

"Hey Timothy, you done yet, since Roxy should be nearing her room by now, so hurry up!" Lavi's voice came through, making her narrow her eyes. She whispered to Talon a quick order, on which Talon was quick to comply and head straight for the source of the noise. He was quick to catch the hidden circular golem which had been buried under the ruined bed sheets and surface with a triumphant cry with the golem in his claws. The captured golem tried to flee, but it was a wasted effort as Talon dropped it in Roxy's waiting hands. Holding the golem in her gloved hands, Roxy studied the golem. It looked just like the one belonging to Timothy, and as if to prove her point, Lavi's voice came through again.

"Erm… Timothy? Can you send me a response? Hello?" Lavi questioned nervously. Roxy grinned then, a dark grin now growing on her face. Bringing the golem's eye closer to her face, Roxy spoke, each word dripping with undisguised venom.

"Lavi the Baka Usagi please be informed that for the crime of ruining my room, I will _hunt you down and give you and Timothy Hearst an early death._" Roxy was pleased to hear a near silent screaming coming from the other end of the connection. With that, sheswept out of her room, Talon flying behind her while she clutched Timothy's golem in her left hand, intent on hunting down a certain rabbit and blue head.

Allen had just settled down on his seat with Link and Lenalee by his side when Lavi burst in looking like he had just seen a ghost. The instant Lavi spotted Allen he dashed straight towards Allen's table before hiding underneath, earning him confused looks from everyone. "Hey Lavi, why are you hiding here?" Lenalee questioned in her confusion.

"HUSH! Roxy's after me! She's already caught Timothy and is now hunting for me with Talon!" Lavi said in a loud whisper. The trio exchanged looks of confusion at this, and Allen questioned Lavi, puzzlement clear in his tone.

"What did the both of you do to make her hunt you down?"

Lavi replied heatedly, "We just pranked her that's all by ruining her room and we would have gotten away with it had she not found Timothy's golem which he had left behind accidentally. And then I practically said we were both responsible when I tried to talk to Timothy through his golem, so now she's hunting both of us down!" Then a sudden thought seemed to occur to Lavi since excitement was clear in his tone.

"Hey Allen, since you're Roxy's god brother, can you make her stop hunting me? After all, she seems to listen to you most of the time." Allen paled at this, and hissed back an answer.

"I can't, since Roxy's temper is worse than her dad's! Once she is determined to hunt you down, you're a goner! Not even I can help! And anyway, why should I help you? After all, you always play pranks on me, so perhaps now is the time for me to claim my revenge." Allen's darker side came out at this, and Link and Lenalee shared similar looks of horror at the dark aura suddenly surrounding the teen as he glared at Lavi's direction. He cringed in fear at the dark tone, and was about to give a heated reply when the cafeteria doors opened with a loud 'BANG'. Everyone looked up and immediately cringed at the sight of an enraged Roxy dragging a bruised and beaten Timothy behind her. Roxy's hair was immaculate as usual, but her clothes were ripped in a few places, and an agitated Talon circled overhead, occasionally glaring at everyone else.

"LAVI GET YOUR GODDAMN BUTT DOWN HERE BEFORE I DRAG YOU OUT MYSELF!" Roxy bellowed, deafening the whole cafeteria into sudden silence. Lavi cringed under the table he hid and attempted to make himself smaller as Roxy scanned the whole area with her pale eyes, before Talon flew straight towards Allen's direction and landed on the narrow end of the table, giving way to a triumphant cry at having found his prey. Roxy grinned darkly, a demonic smile appearing on her face as she stalked towards Allen's table. She stopped at the bench, where Allen stood up and smiled an equally dark grin at her, and lifted up the table with his left hand to reveal a terrified Lavi who offered a weak smile at Roxy.

"Truce?" Lavi offered weakly, only to yelp in pain as she dragged him out of the cafeteria with her free hand, Talon flying overhead once more as she slammed the door close. Link and Lenalee were quick to question Allen.

"Walker, why did you reveal the Bookman Junior's hiding place?" Link demanded. Allen chuckled darkly at this, Black Allen now apparent in his behavior.

"That's because Roxy is a huntress; she never stops until she has hunted down her prey. I once tried to interfere in her hunt, and got a Hellbiter round to the butt for my efforts. Ever since then, I've learned to avoid her when she's on a hunt or rampage." Allen explained.

At the end of the day, Lavi and Timothy were found in Roxy's room beaten, bruised and scratched in several places. However, that did not stop them from their diligent effort to clean up Roxy's room. This caused some confusion till they observed that Talon was always glaring at them, and the instant their attention wavered, they were threatened with a glare and a promise of more scratches from Talon and multiple Hellbiter rounds to their tender parts.

Needless to say, no one dared to prank Roxy from that day onwards.

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><p><strong>Moral lesson of the day: Never make Roxy mad!<strong>

**Raych: Hope you guys loved the omake!**

**Roxy: What took you so long to complete this chapter?!**

**Raych: HEY! It's not my fault that no one sent me suggestions, making it hard for me to write this out! Anyway, love it? Review then!**


	5. First Mission

**Raychaell: *moody * I hate my laptop. *glares at said laptop ***

**Allen: What happened to Raych?**

**Roxy: Her family laptop broke down, and since it was the only one with Microsoft Office, she couldn't write anything at all.**

**Allen: Oh. But it still doesn't explain her moodiness.**

**Roxy: *shrugs * She has a school project that requires Microsoft Office, but now she's risking a fail grade thanks to her laptop breaking down.**

**Raychaell: *brightens up* Then again, Dad said he'll get me a new one this weekend. YES! And I finally got it~! Thanks so much Dad!**

**Roxy: And the old loony is back…**

**Raychaell: Whatever. I do not own D. Gray Man, only Roxy, Talon and the plot! And Roxy, Allen, guess what?**

**Roxy and Allen: What?**

**Raychaell: Our favorite samurai is appearing in this chapter~!**

**Lupa019 – I've already got the twin brother story planned out, but yea, the scythe belongs to Roxas. And I love your ideas for the omake! I'll do it the next time I do an omake chapter, which may be chapter 8? No promises on the chapter.**

**[A/N: EDITED 24/5/2013]**

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><p>Roxy was fast asleep when she heard the thunder outside her door. She ignored it and rolled over in bed, covering her ears with her pillow even as she hoped the thunder would go away. It did not. Instead it continued in intensity till she gave way to a loud groan and staggered out of bed half asleep, opening the door to reveal Allen who had been banging away and nearly hit her face. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you where you stand Allen Walker." Roxy growled, glaring at him the best she could even as the muzzle of her gun kissed Allen's forehead. Allen did not react; he was much too used to Roxy's temper when it came to rude awakenings. Instead, he had a bright grin on his face while a moody Link stood behind him.<p>

"Roxy you have a new mission!" Allen exclaimed, beaming away as he looked at Roxy, who merely blinked and retorted, "Whatever," before slamming the door in his face again.

Allen didn't mind. Instead, he just started counting, and when he reached three, the door opened again, and Roxy was in his face, her expression no longer sleepy but full of excitement as she said eagerly, "Did you just say, _mission?_" Allen nodded enthusically at this, causing Roxy to give way to a whoop of excitement and close the door, rushing back into her room as she called back over her shoulder.

"Tell Komui I'll be in his office in 10 minutes!" True to her word, a fresh looking Roxy was immediately in Komui's messy office dressed in her uniform while a sleepy Talon dozed away on her right shoulder. Komui, for once, was fully awake and ready for her.

"Good morning Roxy. Sorry to wake up in the middle of the night but I thought you would have wanted to receive your mission as soon as possible." Komui apologized, but Roxy waved it off with an amicable grin.

"On account that it was a mission you called me for and you sent Allen to tell me the news, I forgive you. In fact, if it was someone else you sent to wake me, I would have shot them first and asked questions later." Komui sweat dropped at this. He had seen first-hand the brutal damage done to Lavi and Timothy for pranking Roxy, and was rather unnerved by the casual way Roxy had acted about it.

"Anyway, we just need to wait for Lavi and Bookman to come in then I can start the mission briefing. Hope you wouldn't mind waiting Roxy." Komui said, making Roxy sigh in impatience but grudgingly wait. Lavi and Bookman did not take too long. Instead, she had barely made herself comfortable on the couch when Lavi walked in a few steps behind Bookman, rubbing his head as if he had gotten a kick again. Lavi was quick to spot Roxy relaxing on the couch and he sat close to her, giving her a grin even as she glared at him for invading her personal space.

"So Chief, what exactly did you call us for this early in the morning for?" Lavi asked casually, ignoring the disapproving glare from Bookman. Komui started to speak, only to be interrupted by Roxy's growl.

"Baka Usagi, get your filthy arm right off my shoulder right this very instant before I shoot you in the head," Roxy growled as she aimed her revolver at his head. What had happened was actually Lavi had put his arm around Roxy, who noticed it immediately and got mad, therefore the threat.

Lavi merely grinned in response, trying to joke with her. "But Roxy, my arm feels soooo comfortable on your shoulder," he whined, but Roxy returned him a deadpanned look before returning her revolver to its holster and punching him in the side of the head with her free hand.

Clearing his throat, Komui was quick to bring their attention back to him. "As I was trying to saying before Roxy interrupted me, you three have a new mission. You'll be going to the town of Loren. (A/N: All town names are made up names so don't bother me with nonsense about not able to find this or that!) There have been akuma sightings there, and we suspect Innocence too since there have been rumors of mysterious disappearances and claims of sightings of a large beast."

Bookman was the first to speak. "So we're going to Loren with Miss Wilder here? Didn't Central forbid her from missions due to the fact that she's the carrier of the Heart?" At this, Komui grinned and replied.

"I made a compromise with them. I said that as long as Roxy doesn't use her scythe unless it's a matter of life and death, she can still go out on missions and defend herself with her guns. Is that all right with you Roxy?" This question was obviously directed to Roxy, who rolled her eyes before nodding her compliance.

Pleased, Komui continued. "So Central agreed with my compromise but said that Roxy can't go on solo missions. Instead, should she go on a mission, she's required to be accompanied by at least one Exorcist."

This brought a scowl to Roxy who muttered clearly, "I don't need a goddamn nanny." This earned her a frown from Komui but he was quick to get back to the topic.

"Anyway, all three of you shall be leaving as soon as possible. You'll be going through the Ark since we have a gate in the country the town is in, but you'll be taking a three day's journey by train from there and meet a Finder stationed there. If there are no further questions, go pack your bags and head for the Ark gate room." With that, Komui dismissed the trio. Roxy headed back to her room immediately, grabbing her backpack from under her bed and piling her belongings in it while a half asleep Talon watched her sleepily from his accustomed perch on her shoulder. Disassembling Talon's perch with practiced ease, Roxy scanned the room one last time to ensure all her belongings were all packed before heading for the Ark gate room. Komui, Bookman and Lavi were there and, once they were given their mission folders, entered the Ark.

Roxy stepped into the Ark with an expression akin to awe on her face. Allen had described the Ark to her in his letters, but the written word was no substitute for the actual sight itself. A few steps behind her, Lavi grinned at her awe as she spun around trying to take in the sight of the town within the Ark while walking forwards. "Our Moyashi is amazing, isn't he?" Lavi asked an exuberant grin on his face as he watched Roxy try to take in the sights. Upon hearing this, Roxy leveled a glare at him and retorted.

"You know perfectly well Allen hates that nickname so why do you insist on calling him that all the time?" Roxy said with a frown, before turning her attention back to the interior of the Ark. She had barely taken a few steps forwards before a door nearly slammed into her face, making her stop in her tracks in surprise. From behind the door, a dark haired teenager with a scowl on his face and long hair tied back into a ponytail stalked forwards, dragging a Finder behind him even as he glared at the surprised Roxy and Talon.

"Get out of my way, idiots." The teen growled, his free hand reaching for a sword strapped to his side. Roxy's eyes narrowed at this. _Dark long hair, ponytail, sword and scowl. Don't tell me, this is… _Roxy didn't manage to finish her thought, not that she needed to since Lavi, who had been behind her, exclaimed in an overly bright voice, "YU-CHAN~! You're back~!"

The Japanese teen scowled even deeper, unsheathing his sword and aimed the blade at Lavi's throat. "Baka Usagi, don't call me Yu. The name's Kanda, got it? And who's the brat and her pet birdy?" Kanda added, frowning at Roxy and Talon who both bristled at the insults.

"So you're BaKanda. My little god brother has told me so much about you, including the fact that you're a jerk and an idiot to boot." Roxy said darkly, adopting a pose that she had seen the Head Nurse use when she saw the injuries Timothy and Lavi had tried unsuccessfully to hide when Roxy had taken out her anger on them. Needless to say, that pose alone had been enough to incur fear among the two pranksters and Roxy had eagerly practiced it and wanted to use it when the opportunity came.

"Who's your little god brother, brat?" Kanda sneered, seemingly unaffected by her menacing stance while Lavi paled behind her and tried to hide from the incoming storm.

"My little god brother is Allen Walker, but apparently you call him Moyashi, which I've been told makes Allen mad and so he calls you BaKanda, _all the time._" Roxy returned, watching in satisfaction as Kanda's expression turn surprised at the thought that Allen had a god sister, before coming up with another insult.

"I'm sorry if you don't remember Allen, but apparently you have a bad memory, _she – male_. Why, even Allen has commented how slow your memory is when it comes to remembering your own name." This angered Kanda, and he was quick to retort.

"My memory isn't slow, Blondie. And it's the Moyashi who doesn't remember his own name, so don't call me an idiot when you are clearly one yourself, little brat." With that, Kanda and Roxy glared at each other, electricity in their glares as both their hands twitched towards their weapons in preparation to fight.

"That's enough both of you." Bookman's firm voice cut through the concentration of both opponents, making both stop glaring at each other.

"Hello Kanda, you're back." Bookman greeted politely while Roxy tried her best to calm the angered Talon who glared at Kanda.

Kanda ignored them before turning back to Roxy and ask brusquely, "What's your name?"

"Her name is Roxanne Wilder. But call her Roxy or else she'll punch you Yu – chan~!" Lavi piped up before Roxy could speak. The use of his surname caused Kanda's eye to twitch but otherwise ignore Lavi before he turned towards the direction of the door that would lead him to Headquarters, making sure to bump roughly into Roxy as he did so. Roxy stumbled a little in surprise and glared at Kanda's retreating back. When Kanda was out of sight, she gave way to a wicked smile and yelled, "Bye YU – CHAN!" Roxy smirked as she heard a distant roar of rage before walking forwards again. Lavi and Bookman were quick to catch up to her as she took out her mission folder and started to read while Talon napped on her shoulder.

Bookman eventually took the lead and led them to a door simply labeled as France. Roxy's eyes lit at this, and she perked up. Lavi noticed before questioning her, "I take it you've been to France before?" Roxy nodded happily.

"_Oui monsieur, J'ai été en France avant." _Yes, mister, I've been to France before, Roxy said in flawless French. Lavi grinned at this, before replying in the same language. _"Alors comment pouvez-vous bien parler?"_ Then how well can you speak it? At this, Roxy rubbed her head sheepishly before replying in English, "I'm afraid I can't exactly speak fluent French since I have very little lessons on it. All I know is how to ask for directions and also some basic French. If you ask me to hold a conversation in French, I'm afraid you'll be sorely disappointed."

Lavi chuckled before opening the door with a grand flourish and allowing Roxy and Bookman to step through. Once again Roxy marveled at the change in surroundings as she stepped through the bright town to see the dark interior of a church. A dark haired Finder stood a few meters away from the gate, and upon seeing Roxy and her companions, greeted them. "Good evening, Exorcists. My name is Amos, and I am to be your guide for this mission. Now if you would come this way please, we'll head for the train station." With that, Amos led the way out of the church, the trio dutifully following until they stepped out of the large doors. Roxy gasped as she was greeted with a face full of cold air. She started shivering and dashed back in to the warm church. Lavi was quick to join her as they both started shivering away. Amos joined them with Bookman by his side, both men showing similar expressions of amusement at the teens.

"I'm sorry Exorcists – sama. I forgot that you weren't suited up for winter travel." Amos apologized even as he handed the trio winter cloaks. Lavi and Bookman both slipped on the brown cloaks they were given, but Roxy frowned as she realized that there wasn't one for her.

"Where's mine?" Roxy asked Amos in curiosity while an unhappy Talon hid in her jacket to escape from the cold. Amos bowed at this, and handed over a bundle of black cloth to Roxy. She shook it out, only to pale in shock as she realized that it was a black winter cloak.

"Why is my cloak black?" Roxy asked in a strained tone even as Lavi tried his best not to laugh at her horrified expression.

"Ah, Mr Walker said that you would prefer black for your cloak since you like the color black so much. He also handed me a note that was for you to read." Amos explained even as he handed over a folded slip of paper. Roxy opened it and read it out loud. It read:

'Roxy,

Hope you like the cloak I asked the Order to get you since you're Lady Ghost herself! HAHA! You've gotten pranked!

Allen'

Roxy felt her eyebrow twitch as the men all fought back laughter at her stunned expression. She crushed the note in her hand, before letting out a bloodcurdling shriek of rage and tearing the note to bits. Without another word, she put on the cloak and stormed out of the church while the guys tried to match her furious pace. Amos was quick to lead them to a train station, only to find out that their train had left a few minutes ago. This piece of news didn't seem to disappoint Lavi. Instead he grinned brightly while Bookman looked resigned. When Roxy asked, Lavi replied, his trademark grin in place, "We're going train jumping." Roxy grinned at this, since Allen had told her about train jumping in his letters, and he had even boasted that now he was so good at it that he could do it with his eyes closed. This had created a large curiosity in Roxy for she had never heard of train jumping before.

Now, it seemed she would to experience it herself. Amos led them all to a bridge overlooking the train tracks while Lavi explained the concept of train jumping to a curious Roxy. "Basically, train jumping is all about leaping onto a moving train from above. You do it from above, as in a bridge like the one we're on. From the bridge, you stand on the edge before you leap off at the sight of the carriage and land on your feet. From there, you just basically enter the train from the skylight." Lavi explained even as everyone stood on the bridge, ready to jump. Roxy felt nervous and excited at the same time. It was her first time doing something like this, but she felt the adrenaline rush even as she watched Lavi jump first when their carriage passed underneath. Without further ado, she jumped.

As always, she felt a giddy rush whenever she did something extreme. She felt herself fall, then when the carriage roof loomed into view, her instincts took over. She automatically bended her knees and was quick to roll forward before springing up once more as her feet hit the roof. Lavi was already waiting for her by the skylight, and Bookman and Amos were quick to join them too as they both landed on the carriage. "So how was your trip down, Madame?" Lavi asked with a fake French accent. Roxy merely chuckled and replied, huge giddy grin lighting up her face even as she spoke. "That was GREAT!" Roxy enthused happily while Lavi laughed away. They were quick to get into the carriage and out of the cold, where she once again appreciated the perks of returning to the Black Order. After all, she had never known that being a member of the Black Order meant a free and luxurious train ride!

Now that they were settled down, Roxy stared out of the window from the seat she now occupied. Beside her, the men were engaged in quiet conversation as they discussed the journey ahead. Staring at the scenery whizzing by soon made her drowsy and the excitement of the night soon faded away to bone deep weariness. She couldn't help but give way to a yawn, and this caught the attention of the rest. "Miss Wilder, feel free to rest. We will wake you once we have reached our destination," Bookman said, making Roxy smile a little.

"All right then. Night guys," and with that said, Roxy fell asleep, exhaustion soon pulling her deep into sleep.

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><p>She was dreaming. She knew she was because she saw <em>him<em> lying on the snowy ground, _his _blood pooling into a large pool beneath _him_. She could never forget that day; since that day was the day _he _left her and died. At first she was an observer to the tragic scene in front of her, and then in an eye blink it was her crying those same words from when she was seven, crying for _him_ to stay with her and, "_Don't leave me alone!"_

"Roxy, wake up. It's just a nightmare!" Someone shouted in her ear. _Who is it? _Roxy thought tiredly, and then her mind supplied an answer. It was Lavi. With that realization, Roxy awoke with a jolt and realized that the guys were now staring at her with an expression akin to concern.

"You all right Roxy? You gave us a scare just now when you suddenly started crying in your sleep and cried 'Don't leave me alone!' Was it a nightmare?" Lavi asked worriedly, his eye filled with concern. Roxy blinked in surprise at this; she had not realized that she had cried in her sleep, and judging by her blurry sight, Lavi must have been telling the truth.

"I'm fine everyone. Just a bad dream that's all." Roxy replied with false cheer before snuggling further into her cloak in which Talon slept. She ignored their concerned looks, and tried her best to go back to sleep, and hopefully not dream about that day again.

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><p><strong>Raychaell: And it's done! Sorry about the long wait guys, but I had a tough time writing the ending out! And did anyone else love the confrontation between Roxy and Kanda as much as I do?<strong>

**Roxy: *mad* I can't believe you took so long to write this chapter out!**

**Raychaell: I told you; the ending was rather hard to write out!**

**Allen: *Black Allen mode* Hey Roxy, great nickname for BaKanda there!**

**Roxy: *smiles darkly* Thank you. That idiot deserved it! Stupid she male should cut off his hair, since his hair can earn us enough money to pay off my old man's debts!**

**Allen: True! Why not we cut it off together when you return from the mission?**

**Roxy: You're on! *exchange dark grins with Allen***

**Raychaell: *shudders* I'm not going to help you if he catches you in the act! Anyway, review please!**


	6. Old Memories

**Raychaell: *kneels down wailing away* I'M SO SORRY! I'M SO SORRY I NEVER UPDATED ALL THIS WHILE!**

**Roxy: *mad* I'm going to murder you for this. What took you so long to update?**

**Raychaell: *retorts* That's because people actually loved my other story in the Skulduggery Pleasant fandom and reviewed, but very little people reviewed for this! Anyway, just an update to you guys, if I do not see new reviews for this story, I'll delay updating it! Now that I'm done, on to the story! I don't own D. Gray Man, only my OCs.**

**[A/N: EDITED 24/5/2012]**

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><p>Roxy stepped out of the train feeling a little exhausted. The train ride had been long and a little boring too, but she still managed to amuse herself by training Talon some new communication methods. Not to mention, she didn't get much sleep since she was constantly on the watch against Lavi who seemed to have forgotten that she didn't appreciate being pranked, and had tried to draw on her face with a black marker. Luckily for her, Talon had awoken her with an angered screech, and managed to claw Lavi once before she awoke, and stopped Talon from inflicting more harm. Then Lavi had to ruin her self-control by joking that she was in love with him that's why she saved him from getting more scratches from Talon. <em>Stupid rabbit<em>, Roxy thought savagely to herself as her hands twitched to her guns once again as she recalled the memory of nearly letting loose a torrent of Hellbiters on that idiotic rabbit while Amos and Bookman tried to calm her down and stop her from murdering that imbecile.

"Hey Roxy, are you still mad at me?" Lavi whined, rubbing the side of his jaw where she had punched him. Her punch had left a bright purple bruise on his jaw which left people staring away in curiosity. Roxy merely ignored him and awaited Amos. The finder stepped out of the crowd as she leaned against a lamppost in boredom, Bookman just a few steps behind him. Both men ignored the idiotic rabbit who was still trying to garner sympathy, not that he was going to get any from them.

"Miss Wilder, the carriage is this way." Amos said respectfully, his eyes full of respect and fear as he tried to remain calm and not freak out at the memory of an enraged Roxy nearly murdering another exorcist. All of them stepped out of the train depot and were quick to spot a horse carriage drawn by two black horses. Roxy immediately went over to them, murmuring praises and words of happiness. The horses seemed to respond with whickers and nudged her shoulder for more attention. This scene caused Lavi to laugh, earning him a glare from Roxy and Talon. With a reluctant sigh, Roxy turned away from the horses. Talon flew off to hunt in his boredom, leaving her to board the carriage alone. Once inside, Lavi once again attempted to sit next to her, only to be dragged away by Bookman who boxed Lavi's ears, making the younger Bookman howl in pain and bring a smile to Roxy. Amos sat outside with the driver while Roxy studied the mission folder once again.

"Miss Wilder, here's something for you." Bookman's firm voice interrupted her reading. With surprise plain on her face, Roxy looked up to see a golem in his outstretched hand while Lavi gazed at the moving scenery outside.

"A golem? But I don't need one since I have Talon." Roxy told Bookman as she pushed away the hand.

"Yes, but in events where urgent communication is needed, Talon may not be able to provide that. Also, he's an animal who needs rest too, so he can't be always depended on, therefore the Chief told me to give you the golem." Bookman replied. Roxy knew that Bookman had a point at this, so with another sigh, she accepted the golem. She studied the round black golem with curiosity before coming to a decision.

"I think you need a name, so I'll call you Mono." She decided and with that done, Roxy once again leaned her head against the window, her eyes drooping shut with drowsiness. She would have gladly accepted sleep at this point of time had it not been for the fact that she didn't want to have the same nightmare as before where she remembered losing her precious one. _No… I can't bear to remember losing him that day, since his death was _my entire fault… With yet another sigh, Roxy returned to viewing the scenery outside.

Talon returned after a few hours, nuzzling her happily; a sign that his hunting trip had gone well. Roxy couldn't help but smile and kiss the top of Talon's head, happy that her friend was by her side once more. Exhaustion soon took over however, and Roxy slept once more.

"_Happy 5th birthday, Roxanne! Here's a present for you!" Roxanne stared at the gift presented with growing delight._

"_Thank you so much Big Brother!" Roxanne squealed happily, hugging her Big Brother. His features were blurry, and she couldn't see what his face was like, but she could see a smile. Big Brother hugged her back, and whispered back to her._

"_Happy birthday, my dear Roxanne. May you always be my pretty little sister." Roxanne smiled happily at this._

Roxy woke up with a jerk. Putting a hand up to her face, she was surprised to find tears flowing down her cheeks, and sighed. "It was just a dream, just a dream." Roxy whispered, hugging herself while Talon crooned his worry. Bookman and Lavi were both asleep for once, which made her rather glad, since she didn't want them to ask her awkward questions about why she cried in her sleep. _No… I can't have them ask questions. If they do, they will know everything and look at me with those same eyes as those people did. No, I can't have that. _With that thought in mind, Roxy tried to relax again, and soon fell asleep once more. This time, it was; to Roxy's relief, a peaceful dreamless sleep which was soon interrupted when her senses registered a presence above her.

Years of instincts which had been honed though her travels through dangerous places and living on the streets as a kid took over. Her right hand, which had been supporting her head dropped to her right thigh where she drew her knife out of its hidden sheath and came up again with the blade now drawn to kill if necessary. "Roxy!" An alarmed shout reached her ears just as her knife met unyielding flesh. Roxy blinked, coming out of her trance to see Lavi raising his hands in surrender as her blade kissed his throat. His hammer was extended and enlarged to push her back if necessary while the rest looked on in alarm. With a sigh, the knife went back to its sheath and Roxy gave Lavi a glare, muttering a warning.

"Don't you dare surprise me like that again or I swear I'll give you more than a cut." Roxy snapped, turning her attention back to her backpack, from which she dug out her mission folder in preparation to read it. She soon immersed herself in the details. Apparently the beast was huge, and conventional weapons had no effect on it. Finders who had ventured in to retrieve the possible Innocence soon found themselves lost in the thick and gloomy forest, and came out only to realize that they were back where they started. _Back where they started huh…,_ Roxy mused, and without warning a memory began replaying.

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><p><em>She was 17 again, and Cross stood behind her in the rain. Roxy was soaked to the skin due to the rainstorm she was currently stuck in, but Cross had a large umbrella held by poor Allen sheltering him. Allen was soaked to the skin as well, and kept sneezing away.<em>

_But Roxy didn't see this. She was focused on her target, a small circular piece of willow wood flapping around wildly in the windy storm. Her Wolf guns were not with her; no, Father had confiscated them, saying that until she learned how to shoot properly, he would never let her use her Wolf guns. So he had handed her an ordinary revolver and told her to start shooting at different targets. Her first target had been a row of six tin cans. Her first try had been a complete miss, and she was forbidden from fighting akumas for a week as a result. That had been a harsh punishment, she reflected later during the fight with a small group of Level 1s. She had to grit her teeth while Father shot down the akuma with deadly accuracy while Allen dealt with the weaker ones. So when she was given a chance to train once more, Roxy did her best and managed to knock down half of the cans._

But it still wasn't enough.

_Roxy was upset when she was told that she had not succeeded. She nearly threw a tantrum, till she realized that it would be fruitless, and then turned her attention back to her targets. On her second try, with the targets set upright once again, she shot down every single target. This had been a stepping stone for her, since she was allowed to upgrade to tougher targets, until her current final test to judge her ability as a markswoman. Roxy focused once more, her aim steady as she raised the ordinary twin revolvers she held. She ignored the cold rain and the loud thunder. She ignored Father's burning stare at her and Allen's continuous sneezing. She tuned out anything distracting, and focused her will on the target ahead. "If you can't hit this, then you're not a true markswoman, and I will never return you your Wolf guns. Do not disappoint me." He had told her, and now watched her from behind. Roxy understood this, and now, taking in a deep breath, she placed her fingers inside the trigger guards, ready to fire. She cleared her mind, focused, and fired._

_She fired with her left hand first, her aim true as the bullet hit the wooden piece. But she wasn't finished, as she fired again with her right hand, her aim true and flinging the shredded wooden circle higher into the wind. She fired over and over again, each shot hitting the target and sending it higher, till she stopped, and let it fall to the ground where she picked it up, and saw that the wooden piece was now shredded into a size no smaller than her thumb. She looked at it briefly, and was surprised when she felt a large hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Father looking down at her with that rare smile of his. "You did it," He commented. "Well done." Roxy beamed happily at this. She lived for Father's rare praises and they always made her happy._

"_As a reward, you may have your guns back." With that, Father tossed her twin guns back to her. Roxy hugged the guns close to her, surprised to see that they came with brand new leather holsters. Roxy looked up, but her Father had already left, yelling at Allen to "Keep that goddamn umbrella up you baka apprentice!" Her lips curved into a smile even as she strapped her holsters to her thighs and chased after her father and master, knowing that thanking him would be useless seeing as to how he would just scoff at her and ignore her._

* * *

><p>"Roxy, wake up! Yo Roxy, wakey wakey~! We've reached the inn!" Roxy blinked upon hearing Lavi's cheerful voice, and looked out the window, startled to see the inn where they would be staying for the night. She must have fallen asleep while recalling the memory… With a sigh, Roxy slung her backpack over her shoulder and stepped out after Lavi, who was headed for Bookman and Amos. They stood to the side awaiting her, and Amos was the first to speak as soon as she reached them.<p>

"The owner of this inn has no idea that we are from the Black Order. Instead, he has been told that we are a group of bounty hunters looking to catch this beast for the large bounty it has on its head. Inside, we'll be in contact with other groups of bounty hunters, so be on guard, and we'll discuss about the Innocence in our rooms. Miss Wilder, you have your own room, while the rest of us will be sharing a room. The rooms have a connecting door to make things easier for us, but it will be locked for privacy. If there are no further questions, we shall go in." Amos briefed them, and upon seeing agreement among the group, led them in.

When they first stepped in, they were hit by a barrage of noise and smells. Talon took the chance to burrow further into her cloak, while Roxy cast a cautious eye upon her surroundings, making sure that her guns were clearly seen. Lavi acted his usual cheerful self while Bookman and Amos remained silent. The hubbub died as soon as they entered, the men in the pub assessing the newcomers. All eyes were on her especially, seeing as to how she was the only female in the group and she wore trousers instead of skirts or dresses which were expected of most women. Some eyes travelled boldly to her chest and her ass, which pissed her off, A LOT. It took all of Roxy's will not to snap right here and now, unleashing her wrath upon the perverts.

Then a man came up to her, his cheeks flushed as he swayed on his feet as he walked to her. Lavi and Bookman tensed behind her but showed no signs of it. Roxy was calm however, for Talon had not reacted and got agitated. Instead, he flapped his way out from the depths of her cloak and stood on her shoulder, gazing at the man with a suspicious glance. After all, Talon was disturbed by the anger rolling off his mistress, and he now saw a threat, so he reacted. With a scream of anger, Talon glided over to the drunk man and would have raked him with his claws had Roxy not ordered, "Talon, return." With a disgruntled air, Talon changed course and returned to his mistress' shoulder, glaring all the while at the man whom he longed to claw. Roxy merely stroked Talon, earning her a croon.

The man took the opportunity to put his arm around her, making Roxy and the rest stiffen. Lavi stepped forward with a hand on his hammer, ready to act if necessary, but Roxy was already moving. With a swift grab of the drunkard's arm, Roxy twisted it behind him while Talon flew away to safety. The drunkard howled with pain as his arm was brutally twisted behind him, and he was forced to lean back towards Roxy to relieve the pain. "Don't you dare touch me again." Roxy hissed into the drunkard's ear. The man nodded eagerly, for he would do anything just to get away from her hold. With a snort, Roxy released the drunkard while the others surrounded her discreetly as a silent show of support.

Roxy was glad for it, since the wary atmosphere in the inn had changed into one of danger. The four of them were quick to grab their room keys from the innkeeper, and head up to their rooms. The moment they entered, everyone gave way to a sigh of relief, and the lecture started.

"Roxy, what were you thinking? Now you've attracted too much attention!" Lavi.

"That was dangerous. You should have allowed us to handle it for you." Bookman.

"Miss Wilder, that was so cool! I never thought that you would be able to take down that drunkard when he touched you without your permission!" Everyone, including Roxy, stared at the awed finder who seemed to be in admiration of her. Roxy turned her attention back to the other two exorcists.

"Guys, if I did not teach that drunkard a lesson in front of everyone, the crowd would have thought of me as a hooker, which is like an insult to me." Roxy explained.

"But wasn't your mom a prostitute?" This thoughtless question from Lavi made Roxy stiffen and clench her fists.

"Do NOT mention that woman. I will never acknowledge her as my mother as long as I still live." Roxy snapped angrily, and without giving Lavi a chance to apologise, Roxy pushed her companions into the other room, and locked the door behind her, slumping down wearily to the floor. With trembling hands, Roxy slipped her necklace off her neck, and opened the locket once more, revealing the picture of her, Allen and her father. This time however, she prised the picture out to reveal another picture, this time a portrait which revealed a younger her and a boy whose facial features was hidden by the dim light, showing only a smile.

Roxy felt her steely resolve crumple at the sight of the smiling figure next to her younger self, and let the tears flow, weeping for her beloved sibling. _"Big Brother… Why, why did you leave me that day? Big Brother!"_ Roxy wept silently, feeling the tears flow down her cheeks as she mourned her loss. It took her some effort to get up after her crying fit, but when she did, she headed straight for the bed which had been placed in the middle of the room. With a tired sigh, Roxy collapsed into it, but not before removing her boots. She rested on the bed for a while, only to get up quickly when a hungry Talon dug his claws into her head, reminding her that he was hungry and had not hunted yet. Muttering a fluent curse, Roxy carried Talon to the window, and opened it, allowing Talon to fly out into the night to hunt. With that taken care of, she went back to bed, and immediately fell into a deep dreamless sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

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><p>She wasn't sure what woke her up. Perhaps it was Talon's loud screeching, or else her finely honed instincts warning her of trouble. Whatever it was, Roxy opened her eyes, and rolled out of bed immediately, which was just in time since seconds after she rolled away, a blast came out of nowhere and destroyed her bed. A familiar sight of black stars spread over the ruins of the bed, making Roxy give way to another string of fluent curses. She looked up upon hearing snide laughter, and swore once more at the sight of the horde of level 3s which had gathered around the hole. The connecting door then slammed open to reveal the rest of the guys, who gawked at the sight of the level 3s before snapping into battle positions. Seeing as to how Roxy had placed her guns under her pillows before she slept, she was now seemingly unarmed. The two Bookmen seemed to reach the same conclusion as her at the same time, for Lavi yelled at her, "Roxy! Protect Amos and Gramps and I will deal with the akuma!" With that, Lavi and Bookman hurried out of the hole, Lavi yelling for his hammer to grow and extend.<p>

Roxy was unhappy with this. She knew she wasn't allowed to use Nightmare, and her guns were unreachable, unless… A smirk quirked up her lips as Roxy whispered, "My wolves, on me." As if in response, her guns, which had been buried under mounds of ashes and dust, glowed a slight green before rising from the dust as silver wolf automatons. Roxy grinned at this while Amos, who had witnessed the whole thing, gaped in awe. The wolves turned to her then, and ran up to her, alert and ready to follow her every command. Roxy promptly gave an order.

"Return to gun form," Roxy commanded, and the wolves complied, jumping into her open hands as guns, and just in time too, since a level 3, which had probably snuck away hoping to get to the easy pickings, appeared in front of her with a ball of energy in either hand.

"DUCK!" Roxy hollered, pushing Amos down in time to duck from the incoming blast. She didn't give the akuma time to recover, since her revolvers were now out. With a quick order to Amos telling him to stay down, Roxy ran head on at the akuma, shooting all the way, and leaped up in time to avoid another energy blast. Her leap carried her over the surprised akuma, who didn't manage to defend itself in time since she fired bullet after bullet into the akuma's head, turning it into dust even as she landed safely on the other side of the room. It was then she realised that Talon was nowhere to be found.

"Talon, Talon! Where are you?" Roxy called out, her voice rising in fear. She couldn't bear to lose her only trusted companion, since he was the only one who truly understood her moods, and never betrayed her. As if in response to her voice, an irritated screech was voiced. Roxy smiled with relief upon hearing him. A dusty Talon soon flew in through the hole, Lavi and Bookman also returning in his wake. Talon was quick to land on Roxy's shoulder, voicing his irritation at being abandoned and forgotten by digging his sharp claws into her shoulder. Roxy winced at this, and fumbled at her backpack, which had survived the initial blast, grabbing her food pouch where she had packed strips of dried meat as treats for Talon. She offered this to Talon, who gave the offerings a cursory glance before deigning to gobble it up. Lavi grinned at this.

"So, Mr Talon, are you happy now that your humble human servant has given you food?" This earned him death glares from both Roxy and Talon, but exhaustion soon took over them, so Roxy pulled out her sleeping roll from her pack, unrolling it so that she could sleep. The guys bid her good night at this, and Roxy tiredly returned the same greeting before falling into a deep sleep.

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><p><strong>Raychaell: And… It's done! Sorry about the long wait, but I was busy all right!<strong>

**Roxy: Couldn't you have made this chapter longer then?  
>Raychaell: *shrugs* Ending sucks, and I didn't exactly know how to write it out properly, so it became rather short I guess… Anyway, review! THANKS FOR BEARING WITH ME!<strong>


	7. NOT AN UPDATE

Dearest fans,

This is NOT an update. Due to sudden overwhelming schoolwork, a deluge of plot bunnies, lack of inspiration, and some laziness on my part, Chapter 7 will take some time to complete. Rest assured though, that the chapter is halfway done, and as soon as my exams are complete, I'll get back to writing as soon as possible. In the meantime, feel free to take a look at my old chapters where I've edited them and rewritten parts of it so that Roxanne isn't too Mary – sueish.

Most sincerely,

Raychaell Dionzeros


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